The government discussed the energy situation at length on Wednesday, Gergely Gulyás said today. the government info. The government stated that all resources are available in this year's budget to maintain the current household utility reduction rules. They see that the increased energy prices are a serious difficulty for the economy, from the point of view of competitiveness, this is a serious negative, he added.

In response to a question, Gulyás said that the MVM cannot conclude new contracts on a daily basis, but for a six-month or annual period. Looking at daily prices is completely contrary to market logic, and thus the company cannot react to continuous price movements, he added. The overhead reduction last year cost HUF 1,500 billion.

From May, the market price above the average consumption will not change either for gas or electricity , Gulyás said in response to another question. The minister said that the future of food price caps will be decided at the next government meeting.

Companies, municipalities and churches in the universal service and in the final shelter service, if they have not signed a new contract by December 31, will pay the current price. In this round, the state will intervene, and thus the government will help 14,000 actors. Among them, there will be a significant price reduction - explained Gulyás.

He announced that the price of gas will be below HUF 10 per MJ, and the price of electricity will be below HUF 80 per KW.

10,000 economic companies and 4,000 other institutions (municipalities, churches, etc.) will benefit from the price reduction. The minister announced that MVM will have to bear the expected loss of HUF 19-20 billion, but the announcement will ensure the operation of smaller businesses.

Gulyás reported that the renovation of the water pipeline is necessary, the network loss is 25-60 percent. That is why a comprehensive renovation is needed here. There are multiple differences in water prices due to the previous utility reduction, so a unified price system is needed , he added.

The complete renovation of the domestic water utility system is worth more than 1,000 billion, but the state still contributes 150 billion annually to the maintenance of the network, said Gergely Gulyás when asked by Origo. Municipalities are free to decide on the handover, he added. He said that the future renovation could be done with EU money and domestic money, as well as with a loan, but no decision has been made yet. Csaba Lantos will report, said the minister. He added that no decision has yet been made on the uniform water fee.

The battery factory received a license that answers all water management questions. The construction of the power plant will not affect water consumption in Debrecen in any way, said Gulyás in response to a question.

It would be good if the domestic left would follow Timmermans' positive statements on battery factories, if only foreign opinions are taken into account on many issues, Gulyás said in response to another question.

The full article of Magyar Hírlap can be read here.

Photo: Zoltán Balogh