New regulatory framework paving the way for geothermal in Hungary

Széchenyi Medicinal Bath in Budapest, Hungary (source: flickr/ Alex E. Proimos, creative commons)

Ahead of the Budapest Geothermal Energy Summit, CEENERGY NEWS held an interview with Marcell Biro, President of the Supervisory Authority for Regulatory Affairs of Hungary (SZTFH / SARA) to discuss how the newly approved regulatory framework in Hungary is facilitating accelerated geothermal development, as well as the role that geothermal can play in strengthening Hungary’s energy security situation.

New legal provisions related to geothermal regulation in Hungary went into force starting March 2023. As Biro said, the new regulatory environment simplified the following elements:

• Simplifying and standardizing the procedures for geothermal energy exploitation, both in terms of exploration, licensing, and regulatory supervision;
• Speeding up the preparation and implementation of geothermal energy projects by reforming the rules and institutions governing geothermal energy exploitation.

The interview also touched on the role of the SZTFH in the geothermal licensing process, and how the new regulations have resulted in a sudden increase in geothermal research applications in Hungary. The full interviewed with Marcell Biro can be read via this link.

The first Budapest Geothermal Energy Summit will be taking place on 5 June 2023 in Budapest, Hungary. For a view on the current geothermal landscape in Hungary, we interviewed Miklós Zaránd and Tamás Pazsiczky from Deloitte, the Platinum Sponsor of the event.

Source: CEENERGY NEWS