Lantos said Hungary aimed to boost the share of renewables in gross final energy consumption to 30pc by 2030. He added that 85pc of state-owned energy group MVM's electricity output was carbon-neutral, but the rate of zero-carbon electricity in consumption sometimes reached 100pc.

Last year, Hungary's solar power capacity was the third-biggest in the world and now stands at 7,200 MW, he said. That capacity is set to reach 12,000 MW by 2030, but will require infrastructure upgrades, he added.

Around 280,000 homes in Hungary have solar panels.

Lantos said energy investment subsidy programmes with a combined value of HUF 1,200bn were underway. He added that without nuclear energy there could be no sustainable climate policy.

He said Hungary was among the top five countries in Europe in terms of tapping geothermal energy, and he saw potential for making biogas. He added that energy storage was a "big task" and noted that a feasibility study for a pumped storage facility would be completed by year-end.

Acknowledging Hungary's dependence on energy imports, Lantos said gas was part of the green transition as Hungary couldn't give it up "from one day to the other". He added that Hungary's gas stores were at 93pc of capacity.

He said that Hungary was no longer dependent on transit deliveries of gas via Ukraine, which were likely to cease at year-end, while MVM had recently acquired a 5pc stake in one of the world's biggest offshore gas fields, in Azerbaijan.

Source: 
MTI - The Hungarian News Agency, founded in 1881.

*********************************

You're very welcome to comment, discuss and enjoy more stories via our Facebook page: 
Facebook.com/XpatLoopNews + via XpatLoop’s groups: Budapest Expats / Expats Hungary

You can subscribe to our newsletter here: XpatLoop.com/Newsletters

Do you want your business to reach tens of thousands of potential high-value expat customers? Then just contact us here!