Hungarian Minister of Economy and Energy István Kapitány said the reduction of utility price subsidies was not made more targeted when drafting next year’s budget. He told Kossuth Radio’s morning programme that the issue is not currently the focus of the ministry’s work.
Kapitány also denied rumours linking the resignation of State Secretary András Tótth to utility subsidies. He said the ministry’s current task is to procure energy from as many sources as possible at the lowest cost.
Wekerle+ and development funding
The Wekerle+ programme covers home purchase support and energy renovation of family houses and apartment buildings. Loans for new homes carry a fixed 3 percent interest rate, while loans for used homes carry 5 percent.
For family houses, the grant share is 30 or 50 percent, depending on the energy efficiency improvement. The target is 120,000 renovated homes by 2030, of which 60,000 are expected to be family houses.
The total economic development framework exceeds HUF 4000 billion. Of that, HUF 700 billion comes from the budget and HUF 900 billion is expected from EU funds.
Energy plans and Paks II
Kapitány said projects financed by EU funds enable energy developments that could not otherwise be realised. Wind capacity of 4000 megawatts is planned to be tendered by 2030. Energy storage targets stand at 3000 to 4000 megawatts by the end of the decade, against 9000 megawatts of solar capacity today.
Next year’s budget allocates HUF 175 billion for a capital increase at Paks II, HUF 30 billion less than the previous budget. Kapitány said the government is committed to nuclear energy and that the decision on continuing Paks II will be taken after the review is completed.
