EU state makes new energy deal with Russia

Hungary has reached an agreement with Russian energy company Gazprom on possible gas supplies in excess of what is provided for in long-term contracts, Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said during a visit to Moscow on Tuesday.

The announcement followed talks with Russian Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandr Novak and the CEO of Russian nuclear energy major Rosatom, Aleksey Likhachev.

“We managed to agree with Gazprom the possibility of buying supply volumes in excess of the amount indicated in the long-term contracts, if a need arises in the course of preparation for winter ...mainly through the Turkish Stream [pipeline],” Szijjarto stated.

“Today we extended the agreements regarding this possibility,” he added.

The sides also discussed a possible acceleration of the ongoing expansion of Hungary’s Paks nuclear power plant by Rosatom. The two countries’ nuclear cooperation has sparked a backlash from some EU member states.

Hungary, which is about 85% dependent on Russian gas, has repeatedly criticized the EU over its sanctions policy against Moscow. Budapest has strongly opposed calls to introduce restrictions on Russian gas imports and has also vowed to oppose any curbs on Russia’s nuclear energy industry. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has managed to secure an exemption from the bloc’s sanctions on Russian crude oil imports.

Hungary has been receiving 3.5 billion cubic meters of Russian gas annually via Bulgaria and Serbia, and another 1 billion cubic meters via a pipeline from Austria. In August, Budapest signed a deal with Gazprom for up to 5.8 million cubic meters of gas per day to be delivered from Russia on top of the contracted volumes.

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