Hungarian Ministry of National Development has reported that while the final version of the National Energy Strategy has been the result of mutual efforts of one and a half year, its impacts will last for several decades. During its preparation, extensive professional and social consultations were therefore conducted in order to secure the support of as many of the stakeholders as possible when we set about to putting the concept into practice. An economic feasibility study and a strategic environmental assessment were drawn up prior to the public debate, shedding light on the background of the strategy and marking out the framework, both in terms of sustainability and financing, into which the action plans, currently in progress, can be integrated.
The National Energy Strategy, based on new foundations, will ensure the long-term sustainability, security and economic competitiveness of energy supply in Hungary. Serving primary national interests, guaranteeing the security of supply, taking into account the least cost principle and asserting environmental considerations, it enables Hungary to contribute to resolving global issues to an extent proportionate to its international weight and as far as its resources allow. In order to achieve our goals, the document lays downs five crucial efforts: increasing energy savings and energy efficiency, increasing the share of renewable energies, integrating the Central European grid network and constructing the required cross-border capacities, maintaining the existing nuclear capacities and utilizing the domestic coal and lignite resources in an eco-friendly manner for power generation.
Thinking responsibly, the Government considers it to be of critical importance in terms of energy policy to rebuild those Government positions that were given up in previous years due to short-term fiscal considerations or even less transparent or meaningful reasons. The only way to achieve the objectives of the strategy, including in particular the ensuring of affordable energy supply to consumers, is by increasing the involvement of the government.
Finally, let us thank our colleagues who have made every effort in order to enable the completion of the National Energy Strategy and who are now working in order to achieve that the action plans are completed, the legal framework is adjusted to the aims and the new support schemes are created along the path determined by the strategy, that being the only way of developing a uniform set of strategic objectives.
The experts suggest that the use of nuclear energy should be increased in order to fill the gap. That requires the increasing of the safety of nuclear power plants and the disposal of radioactive wastes and the extensive use of fourth-generation nuclear reactors. According to the optimistic scenario of the Nuclear Energy Agency, there will be 1,400 nuclear reactors in 2050 instead of the current 439, if the current rate of adding 30 new power plants a year continues. Since of the high-capacity energy sources, only nuclear energy is considered carbon dioxide-free, the envisaged number of reactors in 2050 would meet the UN’s CO2 reduction target of 14 million tons.
Further arguments in favor of nuclear energy are that uranium is available from politically stable countries and the electricity so generated is insensitive to the market price of uranium. What gives rise to public concern is undoubtedly the risk of incidents similar to the Chernobyl and Fukushima reactor accidents and the safe dumping of
contaminated nuclear plant wastes [but by 2020 the actual safety record was finally realized and safe storage of waste has been institutionalized at each power plant.] The latter problem will be resolved by technological development, as the recyclability of such wastes will probably be resolved in the not so far-away future. However, the existing theoretical probability of nuclear accidents necessitates the analysis of alternative scenarios [This is a misleading statement .... there is no "existing theoretical probability of nuclear accidents" becasue by after the date of the above Hungarian study, management of meltdowns has become standard practice and no longer is of serious concern (more) and (more).
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