European energy security

Says an energy crisis could start within days. He says the shutdown and the cost of the emergency imports could have been avoided if the Orbán government had built the new pumping station at Paks. Asks households and large users to move consumption out of the 17:00 to 22:00 peak, and says the government has begun preparing legislation to disconnect big consumers on a rotating basis if reserves, imports and voluntary restraint are not enough.

”Ez azt jelenti, hogy legkésőbb hétfőtől 2000 megawatt kiesik a magyar energiatermelésből, miközben a fokozódó hőség miatt folyamatosan nő a lakossági és közületi villamosenergia-felhasználási igény.”This means that from Monday at the latest 2,000 megawatts will drop out of Hungarian energy production, while residential and public electricity demand keeps rising because of the intensifying heat.

The institutional position. Brussels says it is watching Hungary and Romania and stands ready to convene an ad hoc meeting of the Electricity Coordination Group, which the Commission says would help share information and coordinate next steps in the region. She stressed at the same time that there are currently no immediate energy security concerns.

”Although the operator has emergency measures in place to guarantee nuclear safety, an event of this kind could further strain the regional electricity balance”Although the operator has emergency measures in place to guarantee nuclear safety, an event of this kind could further strain the regional electricity balance

Declared a nationwide energy alert for August and put the arithmetic in public: the evening deficit is being covered by imports, and losing the second Cernavodă reactor would mean losing about 20 percent of national generation. Has asked Ukraine for emergency evening supply from one of Ukraine's nuclear plants, and pressed large industry to cut or reschedule.

”Față de un consum normal de peste 7.000 MW în orele de seară, importăm aproximativ 1.700 MW. Dacă se oprește și grupul doi, ar trebui să importăm peste 2.500 MW.”Against a normal consumption of over 7,000 MW in the evening hours, we are importing around 1,700 MW. If the second unit stops as well, we would have to import over 2,500 MW.

Cuts against the alarm. He puts Hungary's loss at 25 to 30 percent of output and calls it a serious test of national and regional supply, but does not expect the shutdown to create serious problems for the region. He notes that imports can cover part of the gap, while adding that hydropower availability is itself limited across the region.

”Although the situation in Hungary is stretched, I don't expect this to cause serious regional problems”Although the situation in Hungary is stretched, I don't expect this to cause serious regional problems

Says Romania lacks a coherent national energy strategy. He would have refurbished the hydropower plants, built new generating capacity and expanded wind and solar as an alternative for the weeks the nuclear plant cannot run at full output, and puts electricity storage above all of it.

”Above all, Romania should have invested in developing electricity storage capacity. This is an area where the country remains significantly underdeveloped”Above all, Romania should have invested in developing electricity storage capacity. This is an area where the country remains significantly underdeveloped

The dissent on the supply side, written fifteen months before the award. In May 2025 he attacked a support plan the government was then negotiating, arguing that offshore wind should be tendered at the pace private investors will fund, and that guaranteed prices leave neither politicians nor voters able to see what the final bill is. He put that plan at up to 50 billion kroner before VAT for three gigawatts.

”Hvis havvind skal være støttefri, skal man skal belave sig på at udbygge i den takt og det omfang, der er markedsmæssig interesse for, og ikke beslutte udbygningstakten blandt folketingspolitikere omkring et forhandlingsbord.”If offshore wind is to be subsidy-free, you have to be prepared to build out at the pace and on the scale there is market interest for, and not decide the pace of build-out among members of parliament around a negotiating table.