Hungary eyes southern gas route for future energy security

Hungary has reaffirmed its commitment to the southern route for gas supplies, with expectations to receive the majority of its fuel through this direction in the coming years.

Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Hungary Péter Szijjártó, made the announcement following a press conference in Budapest after meeting with Romanian Energy Minister Sebastian Burduja, Caliber.Az reports citing Russian media.

The two ministers signed an agreement aimed at ensuring the security of gas supplies and the continued operation of the gas pipeline connecting their countries.

Szijjártó emphasized that, due to recent geopolitical developments, the southern direction has become the dominant route for Hungary's natural gas supply. "Supplies from the south guarantee the energy security of our country," he said. With the new agreement, Hungary’s reliance on southern gas routes will only increase. "Gas supplies to Hungary will continue to come mainly from the southern direction," he added.

Hungary receives most of its gas through long-term contracts with Russia’s Gazprom via the Turkish Stream pipeline, which passes through Bulgaria and Serbia. In 2023, Hungary imported 5.6 billion cubic meters of gas via this route, and in 2024, this figure is expected to rise to a record 7.6 billion cubic meters, according to Hungarian officials.

Gas supplies to Hungary via Ukraine were halted after Ukrainian authorities stopped the transit of Russian fuel through its territory on January 1. Despite this, Budapest is keen to maintain the northern route as a backup and is working with Bratislava to seek a resumption of transit through Ukraine, with the support of Brussels.

As part of its broader energy diversification policy, Hungary is also focused on expanding cooperation with other countries, including Romania. The Hungarian government has expressed the need to explore alternative energy sources due to the impact of Western sanctions on Russia, which have affected fuel and industrial raw material supplies.

At a recent press conference, Foreign Minister Szijjártó highlighted that Hungary and Romania had increased the capacity of the gas interconnector between the two countries to 2.6 billion cubic metres per year. "Last year, 1.8 billion cubic meters of gas passed through it," Szijjártó noted, emphasizing the growing importance of this connection as part of Hungary's energy strategy.

By Vafa Guliyeva