Hungary’s gas reserves need to be expanded because the current Russian-Ukrainian dispute on gas supplies may result in a situation where Hungary needs to rely on reserves for several months, the executive of the liberal opposition Free Democrats said on Monday.
Hungary is highly dependent on Russian gas arriving from Ukraine and the current dispute results in a pressure of lower gas supplies delivered than specified by contract, Matyas Eorsi said. Ukraine must understand that if it hinders the supply of Russian gas to Europe, some of those who support Ukraine’s integration into the European Union may withdraw their support, he added.
The current situation also highlights the dangers of dependence on Russian gas and the importance of efforts to build the Nabucco pipeline, Eorsi said. He called for a common European energy policy and offered the Hungarian government his party’s help in promoting this issue on the European arena.
Ukraine notified Hungary on Monday that it would reduce its daily supply of Russian gas to Hungary by 8 million cubic metres to 30 million cubic metres. Hungarian energy minister Csaba Molnar said Hungary’s gas reserves, totalling around 3.1 billion cubic metres, would be more than enough to respond to the fallout.
