National Energy and Climate Plan (Hungary).

The main objective of the new Energy Strategy and the National Energy and Climate Plan (‘NECP’) is to strengthen energy sovereignty and energy security, to maintain the results of reduced overhead costs, and to achieve the decarbonisation of energy production, which is possible only through the combined use of nuclear energy and renewable energy. For countries with scarce conventional energy sources, such as Hungary, energy sovereignty is a question of welfare, economy and national security. It is clearly in the interest of Hungary to reduce its demand for energy imports and to simultaneously ensure its connection to the regional electricity grids and natural gas networks, which guarantees the security of supply and effective import competition. The cleanest sources of energy are unused fossil fuels. The reduction of the use of fossil fuels may be achieved through the use of heating/cooling solutions based on renewable resources, implementation of the Green District Heating Programme, and the reduction of energy consumption in public institutions, industry and transport. Owing to the high useful efficiency of electric motors, the spread of electromobility clearly leads to energy savings for final customers. With the implementation of the Green Bus Programme – aimed at greening local transport – environmentally friendly electric buses will be used in larger cities. The energy independence of families can be facilitated by supporting household-scale energy production for private purposes and the spread of smart meters. The Government aims to ensure that most of the power generated in Hungary originates from two sources: nuclear energy and renewable energy – the latter produced mainly by solar power stations. These technologies do not replace or exclude each other, but are mutually supportive, and both are considered to be clean sources of energy. Carbon neutral nuclear energy provides roughly half of power generation in Hungary. This ratio can be maintained in the long term with the Paks2 investment. Carbon neutral energy production is inconceivable and unfeasible without nuclear energy. The Government of Hungary is committed to protecting our natural heritage and the natural environment of the way of life that we, Hungarians, jointly created in Hungary. Therefore the Government believes it is important to protect the world and the environment, and to provide protection against the adverse effects of climate change. The Government needs to pursue realistic and responsible climate protection policies. Firstly, it needs to be realistic in assessing global political trends, the expected results of feasible measures afforded by current technologies and their cost. The Government needs to pursue realistic and responsible climate protection policies. Firstly, it needs to be realistic in assessing global political trends, the expected results of feasible measures afforded by current technologies and their cost. Hungary’s position within the continent’s interior and the special micro-climate of the Carpathian Basin renders the country particularly exposed to the undesirable effects of climate change compared to other European countries, although on a global scale the consequences of warming are expected to be less severe than in countries of mainly developing regions, thus Hungary will not become a source of climate migration, but be a safe target country. Thus, climate change and international migration are correlated issues that are inseparable. When the Government addresses climate policy it also safeguards the sovereignty of Hungary, ensures the livelihood of the nation and families, and the preservation of Christian culture. The European Union expects Member States to operate overall climate neutral economies by 2050. Hungary would need approximately HUF 50 000 billion to implement carbon neutral power generation, fully phase out the use of natural gas and to fully electrify transport. The Government of Hungary holds the view that Hungary can meet this target, but not without substantial financial contribution from the European Union. Hungary assigns a priority to the enforcement of the polluter pays principle: the cost of decarbonisation should mainly be borne by countries and companies mostly held responsible for the current situation. Hungary can make specific commitments only after careful consideration of the means and costs. The Government of Hungary is therefore adopting a realistic and feasible strategy. Economic growth and the objectives of climate protection are not incompatible. Hungary is among 21 countries in the world where since 1990 the GDP increased with a 32 % decline in carbon dioxide emissions and a 15 % drop in energy consumption. Thus, Hungary is not only ranked high in Europe in terms of economic growth, surpassing the average rate of GDP growth in the euro zone by 2-3 percentage points, but also leads by example in relation to climate protection. To secure our future, protect the world and our environmental heritage, the realistic and responsible policies should be pursued further, ensuring energy sovereignty and energy security, maintaining the results of reduced overhead costs, with the clear understanding that the carbon neutral economy can only be established with nuclear energy. The European Commission published the ‘Clean Energy for All Europeans’ package of proposals (‘Clean Energy Package’) at the end of November 2016, which, in addition to setting out several new regulatory proposals concerning climate and energy policy, called on Member States to draw up National Energy and Climate Plans (NECP) based on a single methodology, with uniform content. In the opinion of the Commission, the NECP may rely on the climate and energy strategies, and action plans of Member States in effect, if these are compatible with the EU climate and energy policy objectives to be met by 2030, and with greenhouse gas emission reduction obligations arising from the Paris Agreement.
The main objectives of the Hungarian National Energy and Climate Plan (NECP) are grouped according to the dimensions of decarbonisation, energy efficiency, security of supply, internal market and innovation-competitiveness. The quantified objectives are supported by results of the Hungarian TIMES model, specifically developed for drawing up the NECP, which also lay the groundwork for selecting the most cost-effective policy instruments serving fulfilment of the objectives.