However, the government’s New Széchenyi Plan (ÚSzT) did contain some statements relating to the establishment of large dams and barrages, causing an immediate uproar among environmentalists.
Although it has since turned out that these comments were mistakenly left in the text of the ÚSzT, they triggered reaction from several parties. Non-parliamentary green party Élőlánc Magyarországért called for the abandonment of the plans which “run completely counter to the governing parties’ long-time stand on hydro plants”. Élőlánc called on the government to make clear whether the plans for hydropower plant construction – planned by the previous government – had officially become part of the current government’s program or whether this was just “the inadvertent revelation of some lobby interests becoming intertwined with government officials”.
The government still does not consider high-capacity hydroelectric power a real option compared to other sources of energy. It claims that the topographic conditions of Hungary do not allow for favorable and economic utilization of hydroelectric power. A large part of the country is flat, although there are some low hills, but even at smaller mountains there are hardly any areas with a significant change in elevation. Rivers with high water output do not have marked drops in elevation either.
Watered down
In the government’s view, instead of constructing large dams, it makes much more business sense to establish small-scale hydropower generators (of which there are a few dozen in Hungary, representing total capacity of only around 50 MW). Mini hydroelectric plants with an output of less than 10 MW and turbines installed in river beds could provide energy-efficient solutions for smaller towns and rural areas. According to the government, the establishment of only such smaller plants is in the national interest.
The Hungarian Academy of Sciences (MTA) disagrees however, as its Energy Strategic Working Group argues that larger-scale hydro plants would actually serve the public interest. The group has compiled a book on the best utilization of renewable energy sources available in Hungary, with the aim of helping incumbent administrations create legislation.
The group claim that the current state subsidy system for renewables is distorted and unfair toward certain fields, and it should be reviewed. In its opinion, hydropower is one of the most suitable ways of generating electricity for the country. The group earlier even named two places on the Danube (Fajsz and Adony) that would be suitable for building hydropower plants. Some MTA experts claim that these would not only contribute to the country’s energy production, but would also help flood control and make more of the Danube suitable for water transport.
The above article was translated into Russian and can be accessed through the following link:
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