Speaking during a panel on sustainable energy supply at the professional forum of the Osaka World Expo, Peter Szijjarto stressed that four basic principles must be taken into account when addressing this topic, said the statement issued by the ministry.
The first, he said, is that infrastructure and geography determine from where, from whom, and what kind of energy a country can purchase. The second principle, he continued, is that energy supply is clearly a physical issue, which has nothing to do with politics or ideology.
On the contrary, over-politicizing or over-ideologizing energy supply can be very dangerous, he warned, pointing out that creating a nation's energy mix is clearly a national competence and therefore also a matter of sovereignty. He emphasized that no sanctions should ever jeopardize the energy supply of any country.
Looking ahead, Peter Szijjarto highlighted that global demand for electricity will continue to grow, largely driven by the spread of electric vehicles, rising demand for heating and cooling systems, and the energy needs of massive data centers for artificial intelligence.
And if we ask how we can produce enough electricity in the future in a safe, reliable, uninterrupted, affordable, and environmentally friendly way, the only answer is nuclear energy,
he argued. He criticized politically and ideologically motivated attacks on nuclear energy. “Those who attack nuclear energy are endangering the future of secure electricity supply,” he said. He also noted that nuclear energy is the best way to restore civilized East-West cooperation in the world. Hungary, he said, is an excellent example of this, as major Russian, American, German, and French players in the sector are all present in the country.
Alongside Russia’s Rosatom, French and German companies are also working on the expansion of the Paks nuclear power plant, he explained. In addition, a recent agreement was reached on the exclusive use of American technologies for small modular reactors (SMRs).
We believe nuclear energy is not only the sole solution to producing enough electricity in a sustainable and environmentally friendly way in the future, but it can also serve as a platform for civilized East-West cooperation, which is extremely important given current global developments,
he summarized. Answering a question, the minister said that once the right technology is available, the Hungarian government could be interested in installing a handful of small modular reactors to supply the largest industrial hubs with energy. He pointed out that this would be especially necessary since Hungary has become a leader in electric vehicle and battery production in Europe, both of which require large amounts of electricity. At the same time, he ruled out the involvement of the private sector, stating that regardless of who builds the facilities, only the Hungarian state can act as the operator in the nuclear field.
