Hungary bets on geothermal energy to become independent of Russian gas
in the bowels of Hungarian town of Szegedthe hot groundwater, 2,000 meters deep, had been untapped for a long time, until a major geothermal project was launched to heat thousands of apartments.
This energy conversion strategy could be considered as a model for a European Union (EU) that seeks alternatives to dependence on Moscow.
“Since the 1980s, we have burned millions of cubic meters of imported Russian gas” to power our homes and “we have emitted tons of carbon,” says geologist Tamas Medgyes, who is involved in the operation, reports to the AFP.
But the solution was “at our feet”.
Well before the war in Ukraine, the municipality of this city of 160,000 inhabitants, located two hours from Budapest, decided start Europe’s largest geothermal heating system outside of Iceland.
Upon completion of the works in 2024, Szegedthe third largest city in the country, will have 27 pumping devices, 16 power plants and 250 km of underground pipelines they will supply electricity to 27,000 apartments and 400 non-residential customers.
“Geothermal energy is local, accessible and renewable, so why not use it?” asks Medgyes.
In Hungary, with few natural resources but a long tradition in spas and hot springs, the potential is immense.
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