Danube InGrid Project Continues

The renewal of the electricity network is continuing in the framework of the Danube InGrid project, a Hungarian-Slovak cooperation, with priority developments in Budapest and Pest County, as well as in the North-Eastern Hungary region, in the second phase of the program, which is now starting.

Speaking at Thursday's public online consultation on the program, József Béres, Deputy CEO of E.ON Hungária Group, said that  the Danube InGrid is one of the largest and most forward-looking grid development programs in recent years, playing an important role in ensuring the grid connection of renewable electricity generation and serving the growing needs of customers.

In the framework of the project, E.ON Hungária Group started the development of the electricity network in North Transdanubia in 2021, and several elements of the project have already been completed, with substations in Öttevény, Gyermely and Székesfehérvár already in operation, he said.

In the second phase, investments will be launched in Budapest and Pest countyand the north-eastern Hungarian region will also participate in the program, József Béres said.

The project, which will run until 2028 with EU funding, has a total budget of HUF 200 billion, of which some HUF 84 billion will be spent on development in Hungary. E.ON has planned investments worth HUF 50 billion in the North Transdanubian region and HUF 18 billion in the Central Hungary region, he said.

Attila Steiner, Minister of State for Energy and Climate Policy at the Ministry of Technology and Industry (TIM), stressed that the government's goal is to ensure secure and affordable energy supply for the population, industrial and business consumers, taking into account climate protection aspects. The Danube InGrid project will contribute to this.

He said that adding more renewable energy to the electricity grid would reduce the use of fossil fuels and the country's need for energy imports. Interconnecting regional grids is also very important from a security of supply perspective, he added.

He said it was important that the project would enable Hungary to meet its renewable energy commitments with greater certainty.

Solar energy has the greatest potential in Hungary and the development of solar capacity is progressing much faster than planned. More than 3,000 megawatts of solar capacity are already available, one and a half times the capacity of the Paks nuclear power plant. The target of 6,000 megawatts by 2030 is expected to be met much sooner, he said.