Hungarian delegation visits ‘geothermal innovation world leader’

Attila Steiner, the energy ministry’s state secretary for energy and climate policy, and Bence Gonda, the deputy head of the Supervisory Authority for Regulated Activities, discussed the application of geothermal energy with Gudlaugur Thor Thordarson, Iceland’s minister for environmental protection, energy and climate affairs, in Reykjavik on Tuesday, the ministry and the authority said.

In a statement, they called Iceland, a leader in geothermal innovation, a “remarkable example”, noting that it covers household and industry electricity and heating needs entirely with renewable resources and green energy.

They said the Geothermal Conference organised in Reykjavik for the fifth time had served as an excellent opportunity for participants to learn more about how Iceland is a global leader in the utilisation of geothermal energy. The statement said the practice employed by Iceland was a “model” in demonstrating that geothermal heat was not only a stable source of energy, but, as eco-friendly green energy, also had a positive effect on the quality of life.

The Hungarian delegation and Thordarson were in agreement on the primary importance of geothermal energy today, noting it was valuable, safe, sustainable and renewable alternative source in the energy mix. They touched on Hungary’s National Geothermal Strategy currently being finalised, which could help Hungary be the first member state to respond to the European Parliament’s opinion issued in January urging the acceleration of investments in the sector.

Hungary has been using geothermal energy for decades

The statement said Steiner had addressed the Arctic Green Partnership Forum held simultaneously with the Iceland Geothermal Conference. The state secretary said Hungary will place special emphasis on the topic of geothermal energy during its upcoming EU presidency in the second half of the year, noting that Hungary had long been among the top five countries in Europe when it came to the use of geothermal energy.

Over the course of the programme, the Hungarian delegation got to learn more about Iceland’s best practices and innovative solutions, and was shown the country’s most modern power plant along with the Krafla power plant where the world’s hottest geothermal well was drilled.

At the ministers’ meeting, Bence Gonda, the deputy head of the Supervisory Authority for Regulated Activities, emphasised that that though Hungary had been using geothermal energy for decades, the goal in the new regulatory environment and based on the National Geothermal Strategy was to exploit the country’s favourable geothermal resources as efficiently as possible.