In 2023, Hungary's population consumed just over 3 billion cubic metres, and the available reserve is almost twice that. Last year, the economy's needs were covered by about 5.5 billion cubic meters of natural gas. The amount stored in the country exceeds this amount – the Ministry of Energy announced in a post on Facebook.
Last year, more than 70 percent of the total gas consumption of about 8.5 billion cubic meters was available before the onset of cold weather. By the beginning of September, an amount equivalent to the combined use of 5.7 billion cubic meters from the previous heating season had already been stored.
Moreover, according to estimates based on progress relative to time, annual consumption of natural gas may fall to less than 8 billion cubic meters this year. Hence, reserves can cover a greater proportion of actual needs.
The European Union imposes a 90 percent tariff target on member states with underground gas storage facilities with a deadline of November 1. Hungary has already met this requirement by the beginning of September, and according to data collected by European gas infrastructure operators, we are currently at 93 percent.
Our country is traditionally considered to be at the forefront of the continent when considering indicators of load in proportion to consumption. Currently, only Latvia and Austria, which store the reserves of the three Baltic states, are ahead of us in this comparison.
In addition to the high level of stocks, safe supply to Hungarian consumers is also ensured by unhindered imports and domestic production. Thanks to cuts in utilities, families have had access to the cheapest natural gas in Europe for a long time. The public protection measures, in their unchanged form, ensure that the Hungarian people will be able to keep their homes warm at affordable prices even during the heating season that will begin soon.
