Hungary has agreed additional gas supply with Gazprom in case of emergency, Foreign Ministry says
Hungary has reached an agreement with Russian energy company Gazprom on possible gas supplies beyond what is foreseen in long-term contracts, Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said on Tuesday during a visit to Moscow.
The announcement follows talks with Russian Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandr Novak and the CEO of Russian nuclear energy major Rosatom, Aleksey Likhachev.
“We managed to agree with Gazprom on the possibility of buying supply volumes above the amount indicated in the long-term contracts, if a need arises during the preparation for winter…mainly through Turkish Stream [pipeline]”, Szijjarto said.
“Today we have extended the agreements regarding this possibility”, he added.
The parties also discussed a possible acceleration of the ongoing expansion of Hungary’s Paks nuclear power plant by Rosatom. The two countries’ nuclear cooperation has drawn a backlash from some EU member states.
Hungary, which is around 85% dependent on Russian gas, has repeatedly criticized the EU for its sanctions policy against Moscow. Budapest has strongly opposed calls to introduce restrictions on Russian gas imports and has also pledged to oppose any restrictions on Russia’s nuclear energy industry. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has managed to secure an exemption from the bloc’s sanctions on imports of Russian crude oil.
Hungary receives 3.5 billion cubic meters of Russian gas annually via Bulgaria and Serbia, and an additional 1 billion cubic meters via a gas pipeline from Austria. In August, Budapest signed an agreement with Gazprom for up to 5.8 million cubic meters of gas per day to be delivered from Russia on top of the contracted volumes.
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