Hungary Says It Could Replace Russian Gas Supplies by October 2027
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The Facts
- Hungary says it could replace Russian gas supplies by October 2027.
- Economy and Energy Minister Istvan Kapitany made the assessment in an interview with Telex.
- Hungary is negotiating with Romania and liquefied natural gas suppliers for alternative gas supplies.
- Kapitany said Hungary has pipeline infrastructure for gas imports from alternative sources.
- Romania’s Neptun Deep gas field is among the options Hungary is considering.
- Kapitany said Russia remains Hungary’s main source of gas and oil.
- Kapitany said it remains uncertain whether Hungary will need to end Russian gas imports completely.
- Hungary has begun talks with Croatia on fuller use of the Adriatic oil pipeline.
Context
What deadline is Hungary seeking to meet?
Kapitany referred to an October 2027 EU deadline for member states to stop importing Russian natural gas. kp.ru РИА Новости Європейська…
How does Hungary say it could replace Russian gas?
The government is discussing supplies with Romania and LNG companies and says cross-border pipeline connections can bring in gas from other sources. Lenta.ru Коммерсант.… Ведомости
Is Hungary also considering alternatives to Russian oil?
Yes. Kapitany said no decision has been made to halt Russian oil imports, but Hungary has alternatives and is discussing use of Croatia’s Adriatic oil pipeline. РИА Новости Ведомости vesti.ru
Where Left and Right agree, and where they split
- Where Left and Right agree
- Replacing Russian gas by October 2027 is technically achievable, yet every alternative — Romania, Neptun Deep, LNG, the Adriatic pipeline — remains uncontracted while Russia still supplies Hungary today.
- Where Left and Right split
- The avoidable risk of staying dependent on a single supplier, or the folly of abandoning a working supply before replacements are actually secured.
- Why they won’t converge
- This is a values divide over risk-tolerance—whether an untested but technically feasible alternative outweighs a currently functioning, cost-efficient supply—and no infrastructure count or timetable can settle how much certainty is enough before switching.
- Watch for
- Watch for whether Russia retaliates against Hungary's September 8 expulsion of ten embassy staff by curbing gas deliveries before the EU's 2027 cutoff takes effect.Daily News Hungary
How left and right read it
Dependence on a single supplier gives that supplier power over you, and the people with the least say in the matter carry the risk. That risk is now avoidable, because Kapitany says Hungary could replace Russian gas by October 2027, with pipeline infrastructure already in place and negotiations running with Romania, the Neptun Deep field and LNG suppliers. So why is a cutoff still uncertain?
Energy security is an obligation to one's own households, not a gesture, so the burden of proof sits on the alternatives rather than on the supply that currently works. Kapitany says replacement by October 2027 is achievable, yet Russia remains Hungary's main source of gas and oil while Romania, Neptun Deep, LNG and fuller use of the Adriatic pipeline are still at the negotiating stage. Commit when the deliveries are contracted, not before.
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