Hungary will be ready to give up Russian natural gas by October 2027, said the Minister of Economy and Energy Istvan Kapitány in an interview with the Hungarian publication Telex.
According to him, the country has sufficient gas reserves for the upcoming winter and currently has no problems with the security of supplies.
Kapitány stressed that Hungary's dependence on Russian gas is not due to the inability to use other sources. The reason so far has been “exclusively” the economic benefit from Russian supplies.
The minister did not specify by how much dependence on Russian gas has decreased in recent months. However, he stated that under the current scenario, the country will be able to secure the necessary quantities from non-Russian sources by October 2027.
The deadline practically coincides with the European schedule for ending imports from Russia. The EU envisages a complete ban on Russian liquefied natural gas from the beginning of 2027, and on pipeline gas from the end of September of the same year.
Hungary currently receives Russian natural gas mainly through the “Turkish Stream“ and the related infrastructure in Southeast Europe.
Budapest is also looking for an alternative to Russian oil
The Hungarian government is also preparing options to reduce dependence on Russian crude oil.
Kapitany reported that Budapest is negotiating with Croatia on using the “Adria“ oil pipeline at its full capacity. It connects the Omišal terminal on the Croatian island of Krk to the system through which oil can reach Hungary and other Central European countries.
The technical capacity of the facility reaches about 24 million tons per year. In August, Croatian operator JANAF and Hungarian energy company MOL agreed to transport 2.05 million tons of crude oil.
Hungary currently continues to receive Russian oil through the Druzhba pipeline.
However, Budapest's position does not mean an immediate end to energy relations with Moscow. Back in May, Kapitány stated that Hungary does not intend to terminate existing contracts for Russian oil and gas, but aims to have several independent sources of energy supplies.
The stated deadline in 2027 indicates more preparation for diversification and the possibility of the country functioning without Russian energy carriers than a decision to terminate existing contracts early.