All news

Hungary considers southern direction as main one for gas supplies — minister

Hungary is receiving the major portion of gas over the TurkStream gas pipeline and its branches via Bulgaria and Serbia under long-term contracts with Gazprom

BUDAPEST, March 10. /TASS/. Hungary eyes the southern direction of gas supplies as the main one and believes it will receive maximal fuel volumes from it in coming years, Foreign Affairs and Trade Minister of Hungary Peter Szijjarto said at a press conference after the meeting with Romanian Energy Minister Sebastian Burduja.

The two ministers signed an agreement on measures of providing for security of gas supplies and operation of the gas line laid between the two countries. "In view of the latest developments, the southern direction has become dominating in natural gas supplies to Hungary. Deliveries from the south guarantee energy security of our country. The southern direction will be even more important owing to the new agreement. Gas deliveries to Hungary will continue to take place mainly from the southern direction," the foreign minister said.

Hungary is receiving the major portion of gas over the TurkStream gas pipeline and its branches via Bulgaria and Serbia under long-term contracts with Gazprom. According to Hungarian data. 7.6 bln cubic meters were received along this route in 2024.

Gas deliveries to Hungary via Ukraine were terminated after Ukrainian authorities halted Russian gas transit from January 1. Budapest at the same time is interested in keeping the northern route as the reserve one and seeks after restart of transit from Kiev together with Bratislava.

Hungary and Romania increased the capacity of their interconnector to 2.6 bln cubic meters per year, Szijjarto noted. "Last year, 1.8 bln cubic meters of gas passed through it," the minister noted.

Hungary also expects gas supplies from the Neptune Deep gas field in the Romanian part of the Black Sea shelf, the minister continued. Field’s commercial operation may start in 2027. "This will be the only gas greenfield that can serve to diversification in the region," Szijjarto said, adding that companies of the two countries already started talks on this topic.