LIFE19 IPC/HU/000009 – LIFE-IP North-HU-Trans - Roadmap for the safe, efficient, and low-carbon transition of Hungary’s last coal region

The fight against climate change, and specifically the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, is receiving increasing attention at the global, European Union, and national levels. The EU has set a goal of achieving climate neutrality by 2050, and phasing out traditional coal-fired power generation is a key step toward this goal. Along with many other EU member states, Hungary has also announced the phase-out of coal-based energy production by 2030. Hungary’s last coal-fired power plant, the Mátra Power Plant, is the country’s largest emitter of carbon dioxide. Achieving the above goals requires the power plant’s capacity to be restructured in a way that takes climate goals into account, which will have a significant impact not only on the power plant but on the entire region; therefore, the restructuring must be carried out with a comprehensive approach, taking socio-economic considerations into account as fully as possible.

To lay the foundation for the transition, with support from the European Union’s funding instrument called Programme for the Environment and Climate Action (LIFE), under the coordination of the Ministry of Energy, and in collaboration with more than 20 institutions affected by the transition, the LIFE-IP North-HU-Trans project titled “Secure and start implement an effective roadmap for the low-carbon transition of the single largest coal-region in Hungary” was launched on September 1, 2020. The National Adaptation Centre department of HungaroMet Hungarian Meteorological Service Nonprofit Ltd. (HungaroMet Zrt.) is also participating.

The project’s objectives include:

  • Emission reduction, coal phase-out
  • Testing and evaluating innovative renewable-based energy production and storage solutions in former mining areas
  • Capacity building
  • A sustainable and just transition for workers in the lignite sector
  • Recultivation of former mining areas
  • Mobilization of additional resources
  • Establishment of the legal framework necessary for the effective implementation of the National Energy and Climate Plan (NECP)
  • Economic diversification in the former coal region
  • Improving energy efficiency for low-income households heating with lignite
  • Greening public transportation
  • Sharing results, and awareness-raising

To achieve the above objectives, 32 actions have been defined as part of this 9-year project, four of which are led by the National Adaptation Centre department of HungaroMet. In this context, during the first phase of the project, our institution—in collaboration with several project partners—is examining the environmental impacts of coal phase-out (covering the topics of air pollution, natural habitats, groundwater, and geological hazards), as well as the potential impacts of coal phase-out on the population. In later project phases, the team will be responsible for monitoring the environmental impacts of the transition and will also carry out international dissemination activities.

 

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