Minister of State for Energy Affairs Dr. András Aradszki of the Ministry of National Development represented Hungary at the 3rd Jordan International Energy Summit held in Amman on 2-3 April 2017.
“In view of changes in consumer habits in recent years, greater than ever emphasis must be placed on all energy sources, power plant technologies and regional cooperation that is capable of meeting continuously increasing energy requirements”, the State Secretary said. Simultaneously with guaranteeing the security of supply, it is also essential to eliminate the adverse effects of global climate change.
Mr. Aradszki pointed out that as a party to the Paris Agreement, Hungary was seeking to promote the realisation of global climate protection goals, and accordingly the Government is committed to the decarbonisation of the Hungarian economy. “In order to keep the Earth’s average temperature rise below 2 degrees Celsius, it is currently essential to use nuclear energy”, he underlined.
“Therefore Hungary opted for clean and reliable nuclear energy’s long-term maintenance in the energy mix – beside the fossil and renewable energy sources", he said, adding that the Paks Nuclear Power Plant, which has been operating safely and successfully for over three decades, was a stable base of Hungary’s electricity production.
“In order to enhance energy security, the European Union is striving to diversify energy sources and procurement routes, while Member States remain responsible for guaranteeing the security of supply and may decide themselves on transferring these powers”, the State Secretary said. He pointed out that the energy market cooperation that is developing at a regional level is in the fundamental interests of the neighbouring countries, because it facilitates legal harmonisation within the energy sector, the establishment of a fully integrated European energy market and the implementation of infrastructure projects that reinforce energy security.
In his address, in addition to the Visegrád Group established more than a quarter of a century ago, the Minister of State also mentioned the coupling of the Czech, Slovak and Hungarian day-ahead electricity markets in 2011 and the activities of the high-level working group aiming at establishing the interconnection of Central, Eastern and Southern European gas networks (Central East South Europe Gas Connectivity, CESEC) as examples of regional cooperation.
András Aradszki commended the two-day summit organised under the patronage of the Head of State of Jordan, His Majesty King Abdullah bin Al Hussein II, and the Jordanian Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, as being a manifestation of their commitment to energy development projects.