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Hungary secures increase

in Russian gas supply

HUNGARY HUNGARY announced on August 13 that Rus- contending with reduced Russian gas supplies
sia had begun ramping up natural gas deliveries below the agreed contractual levels, owing to
Hungarian prime to the country following a July visit to Moscow by steep cuts in flow via the Nord Stream pipeline,
minister has sought to its foreign minister. while others have had their supply entirely cut
maintain warmer ties Trade negotiations between the two sides off after refusing to comply with a March Krem-
with Russian president “led to an agreement” that has resulted in Rus- lin decree requiring payments for gas in rubles.
Vladimir Putin in spite sia’s Gazprom starting to deliver “above the However, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor
of the war in Ukraine. already contracted quantities,” beginning on Orban has sought to exploit his closer political
August 12. ties with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin
Hungary’s foreign ministry said in a state- to secure as much gas as possible.
ment. “It is the duty of the Hungarian govern- Hungary has opposed EU sanctions against
ment to ensure the country’s safe supply of Russian energy imports, as well as calls for vol-
natural gas, and we are living up to it,” ministry untary 15% cuts in member states’ gas demand
official Tamas Menczer said on social media. from this month until the end of March next
Under the agreement, an extra 2.6mn cubic year.
metres per day of gas will arrive in Hungary’s Orban’s government declared an “energy
south from the TurkStream pipeline up until the emergency” last month in response to supply
end of August, Menczer said, adding that sup- disruptions and soaring energy prices. It has
plies for September were being negotiated. Hun- removed price caps for residential electricity
garian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto had gone and gas prices when consumption exceeds the
to Moscow last month to discuss obtaining an household average. The average monthly house-
additional 700 mcm of gas. hold consumption of electricity is estimated by
“In light of what is known about the current the government at 210 kWh, and for gas, it is
European market conditions, it is clear that the estimated at 1,729 cm per year.
acquisition of such a large amount is impossible Russia's Gazprom accounts for around 90%
with Russian sources,” Menczer said in his post of Hungary's gas imports under a 15-year con-
on August 13, referring to Szijjarto’s visit. tract signed in October last year that guarantees
A number of other EU countries are at least 4.5 bcm of annual supply. ™

Week 33 17•August•2022 www. NEWSBASE .com P9