Changes in green energy regulation in European Union (EU)

The long term prospects for green energy in Hungary are very promising as renewable energy is one of the main focus in the country. Following the EU new clean energy directives, Hungary is going to expand its nuclear power plant and also utilize more renewable energy sources by 2030. The Minister of State, Mr. János Lázár said that because the nuclear plant in Paks would only cover 40% of the country’s energy needs, the rest will have to be imported or covered by renewable energy, and the government’s goal is for renewable energy sources to supply 40% of the country’s energy needs.

The EU set a new binding target to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions 40% below 1990 levels by 2030, while getting 27% of its energy from renewable energy by then and this can include nuclear energy. There was a high disappointment with the 27% target for renewable energy in EU. While this was an EU-wide target without binding national breacdowns, the European Wind Energy Association called the GHG proposal “weak” and the renewables goal is a “non-target.”
As nuclear power is important for Hungary’s sovereignty and in line with the EU new energy targets, the Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and Russian President Vladimir Putin came to an intergovernmental agreement on the construction of two new nuclear blocks at Paks, Hungary. The plant expansion will double the current 2GW capacity of the power stations by 2030, and would lead to a 40% reduction in Hungarian electricity production.

Xénia Bernát