For the first time, Hungary could receive natural gas from the north due to the construction of a new LNG terminal in Gdansk, Poland. The two countries have reached a political agreement on this matter, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó announced in Karpacz last week, Hungary Today reports.
Following his talks with Polish Energy Minister Anna Moskwa, the minister said that the fact that Mol had been able to enter the Polish market and that Orlen had also entered the Hungarian market was a good basis for developing energy cooperation.
He underlined that in addition to fuel trading, they would also like to extend this cooperation to the purchase of natural gas, and that a new opportunity for diversification from the north was opening up, as a new LNG terminal was being built in Gdansk, and would no longer serve internal consumption but exports, with an annual capacity of 4-4.5 billion cubic meters.
This is an opportunity for us to open up a new transport route, as we have already interconnected the gas pipeline between Poland and Slovakia, and the gas pipeline network between Slovakia and Hungary, so we can distribute a significant amount of gas on this route on an annual basis,” the Minister explained.
There are still many issues to be clarified, but there is a readiness to use a northern transport route for the first time in the supply of natural gas to Hungary, the minister said, adding that Hungary has already done a lot to be able to source gas from as many places as possible such as Azerbaijan, Turkey, and Qatar, as this is what the government means by diversification, not by replacing one existing source with another.
He also mentioned that although the European Union is not willing to provide funding for this, which is a problem, Hungary is working closely with the countries of southeastern Europe to expand its capacity.
