Hungary has exceeded EU expectations for two consecutive periods in cutting gas consumption.Continue reading
According to the latest data, gas storage capacity is at 68 percent, well above the expected level and above the level required by the beginning of July, the Ministry of Energy announced. The current stock of 4.5 billion cubic meters is one and a half times last year’s full-year residential consumption, writes Magyar Nemzet.
Thanks to adequate winter preparations, the level of domestic gas storage has not fallen below two-thirds for ten months.
The European Parliament and Council regulation required underground gas storage facilities to be filled to at least 80 percent of their capacity by the start of the 2022-2023 winter period, in response to the international energy crisis. Hungary already exceeded this level by the end of the summer last year. Even with continuous storage in the first half of autumn, the filling rate peaked at over 98 percent in 2023.
The first target for 2024 was 51 percent as of February 1, when the actual figure was about one-and-a-half times higher.
The first milestone after the official heating season was reached on May 1.
Compared to the expected 37 percent, domestic storage is 68 percent full. The Hungarian indicator is better than the EU average of 61 percent.
Hungary even exceeds the 37 percent in terms of consumption.
At 45 percent, the domestic rate is the third highest in Europe, 27 percentage points below the average,
the statement highlighted.
The security of supply for domestic consumers was never at risk this winter. Hungarian families are also benefiting from the cuts in energy prices, with the cheapest access to gas and electricity in Europe. The Home Renovation Program, currently under public consultation, has a budget of HUF 108 billion (EUR 277 million) to help households modernize their energy systems. Winners can receive up to HUF 6 million (EUR 15,404) in non-repayable grants and interest-free loans for a single-family home. The improvements will make it easier for beneficiaries to keep their consumption below the energy efficiency band, the ministry concluded.
Photo via Facebook/Eurostat
Via Magyar Nemzet; Featured image via Facebook/Energiaügyi Minisztérium