Hungary has signed an agreement with Slovenia to build a gas pipeline between the two countries, which will allow it to receive gas supplied from Italian seaports. This was announced by Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Economic Relations Péter Szijjártó at a press conference in Budapest after signing the agreement with Slovenian Minister of Environment, Climate and Energy Bojan Kumer.
He noted that the two countries had previously connected their electricity systems and would now do the same with their gas pipeline systems. He said that 115 kilometers of pipelines are planned, of which approximately 40 kilometers and a compressor station will be built on Hungarian territory.
“In the first stage, its capacity will be 440 million cubic meters per year, which can later be increased to 1.7 billion cubic meters, which will allow Hungary to receive liquefied natural gas from Italy via Slovenia“, the foreign minister said.
He stressed that Hungary is taking this step in line with its policy of diversifying energy resources, but this does not mean abandoning existing energy sources and supply routes. Szijjártó also said that he is counting on financial assistance from the EU for the project. He said that Hungary will then be connected via gas pipelines to all neighboring countries.