Energy sector in Hungary - statistics & facts
Reliance on nuclear energy
Hungary’s four operating nuclear power reactors were constructed in the 1980s at the Paks Nuclear Power Plant. Ever since, Hungary has focused on maintaining its nuclear generation capacity. In 2014, Hungary closed a deal with Russia to construct two new reactor units at the Paks Nuclear Power Plant that would be expected to start operating by 2030. In the summer of 2022, the Hungarian Atomic Energy Authority granted a construction permit for Paks II, the new building project carried out by Rosatom. In December 2024, the preliminary safety report for the power plant was approved, granting permission for the pouring of the first concrete in early 2025.Steps towards energy security
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine drew attention to the importance of energy independence and created new energy security challenges in Europe. In 2023, Hungary’s energy import dependency stood at 61 percent, marking a slight decrease compared to the previous year, but still far higher than the value recorded in 2021. Due to low domestic production, natural gas as well as oil and petroleum products accounted for the largest share of energy imports as of 2023. The country has a long history of Russian fossil fuel dependence, starting in the 1960s with the opening of the Druzhba I oil pipeline. As for natural gas, Hungary has relied on long-term contracts with the Russian company Gazprom since the 1990s. However, in response to the current global energy crisis, Hungary is taking steps toward energy security by increasing domestic gas production. In February 2023, natural gas production started in the Nyékpuszta natural gas field, located in the South of Hungary.Hungary's primary energy production has been decreasing, with nuclear power accounting for the majority of electricity generation in 2023, followed by fossil fuels and solar energy. In the same year, the country's dependency on energy imports stood at over 60 percent, largely due to low domestic production of natural gas and oil.