FM Péter Szijjártó: Energy Security is a Matter of Physics, not Politics

Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó stated at the European Union’s Energy Council meeting in Luxembourg that cutting off Russian energy sources would jeopardize Hungary’s security of supply, not to mention price increases.

In this context, he emphasized that energy supply is not a political issue for Hungary, but a physical and geographical one, as the existing infrastructure is simply not capable of handling the necessary volume of imports if Russian natural gas and oil supplies are cut off.

This has nothing to do with politics, nor with Russia. It also has nothing to do with the war in Ukraine. It is math and physics (…) We have a certain demand, and the remaining infrastructure would not be able to supply us. That is the physical reality. These are the facts,”

he emphasized.

Péter Szijjártó explained that crude oil has been arriving in Hungary via two routes, but according to EU plans, one of these would be eliminated.

“Is this truly diversification? We will be dependent on a single route, completely defenseless against the monopoly. We will be dependent on a route whose transit fee is five times higher than the current European benchmark. We would be dependent on a route where transit fees have doubled since the outbreak of the war (…) And we would be dependent on a pipeline that tests have proven is unable to supply us,” he said.

He then pointed out that the gradual cessation of natural gas transit through Ukraine has resulted in a loss of 18 billion cubic meters of capacity per year, and that a recent European Union regulation could result in a further 8.5 billion cubic meters becoming unavailable, while Hungary’s total annual consumption is around 9 billion cubic meters.

He also sharply criticized the European Commission for responding to Hungary and Slovakia’s request on August 22 only on October 10, 49 days later, when the two countries were already close to using their strategic reserves following the attack on the Druzhba oil pipeline and the halt of transit.

Finally, he pointed out that Hungarian energy exports account for only 0.2 percent of Russia’s gross domestic product (GDP), and that their loss would hardly make it impossible to continue the war.

Via MTI; Featured photo: Facebook/Szijjártó Péter

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