Forward or backward in the Hungarian energy transition: an intro to why we care about the national energy and climate plan

What kind of NECP is needed? 

We need a climate plan that does not leave the bulk of the energy transition to future generations, but accelerates it now and provides a predictable legal and financial framework in the public interest. For example, it sets a strong national energy efficiency target and provides for a complex, wide-ranging home renovation programme, including incentives for insulation and heating upgrades, with greater support for low-income, energy-poor households. It must allocate EU and national public funds for this purpose (through the REPowerEU and RRF loan under the Recovery Fund and the various EU Funds through the Operational Programmes as spending plans).  

We need a climate plan that provides a real and lasting response to the fossil energy crisis. Instead of re-fossilising the economy, exacerbating fossil dependency for another 20-30 years with giga fossil investments and forced re-industrialisation, it should gradually but rapidly phase out lignite and our dependency on fossil gas, unlock wind energy (lift wind ban) to balance out solar, smarten the grid and support self-organised renewable energy communities, from planning to operation.

Let’s use the opportunity of the National Energy and Climate Plan to accelerate the energy transition rather than delay it, and thus have a chance to achieve climate neutrality in time! 

NSC-FoE Hungary will publish articles and materials regularly  in English on https://1point5.caneurope.org/countries/hungary/ and in Hungarian on https://mtvsz.hu/together-for-1-5, it is worth following!

Contact: Alexa Botar, climate and energy program director, NSC-FoE Hungary, alexa@mtvsz.hu