
Hungary has drafted legislation on steps to be taken in case of a fuel-supply emergency, just days after a major fire at the country’s sole oil refinery and following a US decision to impose sanctions on Russian energy companies.
The bill designates so-called emergency fuel stations, regulated by the government, if there’s a significant fuel-supply disruption, according to the text of the measure posted on the Energy Ministry’s website.
Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s government has maintained that the country’s fuel supply is assured, even as Mol Nyrt. has yet to disclose the extent to which production was affected at its Danube refinery following a blast and fire more than a week ago.
Erste Bank initially estimated that as much as 40% of the refinery’s output was affected. Orban on Thursday said that authorities are still investigating the cause of the fire.
Energy-security risks have been compounded by the US decision last week to sanction major Russian oil producers in a bid to pressure Russian President Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table to end his war on Ukraine.
Unlike many of its European Union neighbors, Hungary has ramped up purchases of Russian energy following Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and now gets almost all of its crude oil imports from Russia.
Orban will meet Donald Trump at the White House on Nov. 7, where he’ll seek to convince the US president to grant an exemption from sanctions to allow Hungary to continue purchasing oil and natural gas from Russia, Cabinet Minister Gergely Gulyas told reporters on Thursday.
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
Generated by readers, the comments included herein do not reflect the views and opinions of Rigzone. All comments are subject to editorial review. Off-topic, inappropriate or insulting comments will be removed.





















