The Hungarian authorities are counting on an agreement with Gazprom to increase supplies

BUDAPEST, Aug 29 – PRIME. Hungary plans to sign an agreement with Gazprom in the next couple of days to increase daily supplies of Russian gas from September, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said.

“Our task is to ensure the security of Hungary’s energy supply, so whether someone likes it or not, we must negotiate with Russia to increase gas supplies … There is a proposal to increase gas supplies, in the next couple of days we will find out with Gazprom and sign an agreement, in accordance with which will further increase the daily amount of gas supplied,” Szijjártó said at a meeting with Hungarian ambassadors. The broadcast was on social media.

Earlier, the Hungarian government declared a state of emergency in the energy sector, which involves a package of seven measures: an increase in gas production in the country from one and a half to two billion cubic meters, the search for an additional 700 million cubic meters of gas to fill storage facilities, a ban on the export of energy and firewood, an increase in coal production , speeding up the restart of the blocks of the Matra coal-fired power plant as soon as possible, extending the life of the Paks nuclear power plant and cutting the preferential program of utility bills. The last measure is that now those who consume more than the average gas and electricity will have to pay for the overrun not at preferential, but at market prices.

Szijjarto visited Moscow a week after the introduction of the state of emergency, where he held talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, at which the issue of supplying additional volumes of Russian gas to the Hungarian market was discussed. According to Lavrov’s results, Hungary’s request will be immediately considered. In mid-August, Gazprom began delivering gas in excess of the established contracts following talks by Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Economic Relations Peter Szijjártó in Moscow. Gas in excess of the established contracts is supplied through the Turkish Stream, the daily additional volume until the end of August is 2.6 million cubic meters.