Hungary seeks alternative to Russian gas: details

Hungary is negotiating with Romania to purchase natural gas from the Neptun Deep Black Sea field, where production is planned to begin in 2027. Budapest sees this resource as an additional alternative to Russian gas.

This is reported by the Romanian TV channel B1TV.

Hungarian Minister of Economy and Energy Istvan Kapitan discussed the possibility of future gas supplies with his Romanian counterpart Dumitru Kiselice. The parties focused on the conditions under which fuel from the Romanian sector of the Black Sea could flow to Hungary.

According to Kapitan, cooperation with Romania and Croatia will help Budapest gain access to new energy sources.

“We discussed the steps we need to take so that Hungary can play an active role in purchasing natural gas produced in the Black Sea and supplying it to our region,” the minister said.

The Neptun Deep field is located in the Romanian part of the Black Sea. It is one of the largest energy projects in the region, and is scheduled to start producing gas in 2027.

At the same time, there is no agreement on supply yet. To do this, the countries need to ensure sufficient transport capacity, establish connections between gas transportation systems, and conclude appropriate contracts.

Thus, Hungary is currently only exploring the possibility of purchasing Romanian gas, which could help it diversify its supply sources in the future.

As a reminder, Hungary is to completely stop importing Russian natural gas by the fall of 2027, in accordance with the deadline set by the European Union. At the same time, the country is preparing to replace Russian oil with supplies from other sources.

As reported, the European Union does not plan to return to purchasing Russian gas even after the end of the war against Ukraine . At the same time, energy sanctions against Russia will remain in place at least until the cessation of hostilities.