Hungary's electricity import dependence is also high by European standards

3/11/22 1:49 PM
In 2021 there was a 30 days worth of time period, when Hungarian electricity consumption was covered by at least 40% of import.

It is a well-known fact that Hungary is always in a need for electricity import: year after year we acquire more than a quarter of our needs from abroad, which is a severe supply security risk. The fresh study of the analysts of the Paks II. project shows, that analyzing the data in an hourly breakdown, in some given periods the share of import is much higher than the annual average. The study, covering the majority of continental Europe, shows Hungary’s import dependence is remarkably high.

In 2021 there was a 30 days worth of period in Hungary when the actual electricity consumption was covered by at least 40% import. In half a year the Hungarian electricity demand is provided by at least 30% of foreign sources. Hungary is almost always in a net importer position.

Even the import record-holder Italy shows a more promising picture: despite the high amount of import, more than 25% of import of the actual electricity needs of Italy were not needed in 2021. And the share of import remained mostly (in 300 days worth of period) under 20%.
We could also mention Poland who, like Hungary, also imports constantly and where the import share was only more than 18% in a 30 days worth of period. 

 

The Hungarian language study can be found here along with the rest of the Analyst Minutes (all in Hungarian).