“Hungary is a frontrunner in the fight against climate change, and this is something we can state without any kind of arrogance or exaggeration”, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó said in Győr at the logistics centre of Audi Hungaria Zrt., at the official inauguration of Europe’s largest roof solar panel park.

“Hungary has undertaken to ensure that 90 percent of its electricity production will be carbon-neutral by the 2030s, in the interests of which Hungary is continuously increasing its solar energy and nuclear energy capacities”, Mr. Szijjártó highlighted. “However, the government believes in a ‘realistic and rational’ approach, meaning that the economy, competitiveness and environmental protection must progress hand in hand, in a balanced manner. We would all like a green future, cleaner water and purer air, but parallel to this we must also preserve the workplaces of the Hungarian people and the country’s economic competitiveness”, he underlined.

“There are just 21 countries in the world that were capable of increasing their economic performance while also reducing their pollutant emissions last year, and Hungary is one of them”, he stated. Mr. Szijjártó added that in Hungary, energy efficiency is one of the most important aspects of competitiveness. “We would like to generate and use energy efficiently, but the government will not be giving up the achievements of the utility cost cut. We insist on the fact that the Hungarian people and Hungarian industry will continue to pay the lowest utility costs in Europe”, he declared.

Mr. Szijjártó highlighted that the government is working hard to ensure that production capacities continuously increase, and several international and Hungarian enterprises recently began the manufacturing of solar panels. “We are on the right track”, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade said, adding that this is also indicated by the fact that the level of solar energy production in Hungary was never before as high as during the first weekend in April of this year, when 23.7 percent of Hungary’s electricity production was provided by solar energy.

“The next step along the path is the 160 thousand square metre solar panel park constructed on the roof of Audi Hungaria Zrt.’s logistics centre in cooperation with E.On with an investment of over 4 billion forints (EUR 11.1 million), which consists of 36 thousand solar panels. This generates the annual electricity requirements of almost five thousand households, as a result of which over five thousand fewer tons of pollutants are being released into the atmosphere”, he stated.

He added that several previous decisions made by Audi Hungaria have also significantly contributed to Audi’s electrical development: in 2018, the company began the mass production of electric motors in Hungary. and the mass production of the latest generation of those motors, the performance motor family, will begin in Győr.

Mr. Szijjártó also spoke about the fact that Audi is playing an outstanding role in enabling the further strengthening of the Hungarian automotive industry. “There are 165 thousand people working in the sector, and the government has taken the necessary steps to ensure that the country will continue to be successful during the new era of the automotive industry, which will be bult on electromobility”, he stated. “Audi and E.On are clear proof of the fact that Hungarian and German industry are working in close cooperation, have achieved a host of joint successes in recent years, and the government is in fact currently in negotiation with 21 German enterprises with relation to potential investments in Hungary”, he added.

Chairman of the Board of Audi Hungaria Alfons Dintner spoke about the fact that Audi’s facility in Győr is the second plant belonging to Audi AG to operate in a carbon neutral manner. “The company will continue to work to protect the environment using environmentally friendly solutions in future”, he added.

President and CEO of the E-ON Hungária Group Attila Kiss highlighted the fact that E.On and Audi are ready to take action in the interests of a sustainable Hungary: this is the message of the solar panel park. This is why both enterprises have committed themselves to creating “cleaner, greener, carbon-neutral” operations, he added.

Mayor of Győr Csaba András Dézsi (Fidesz-KDNP) spoke about the fact that when Audi settled in Győr it brought a new working culture and approach to the county capital, from which much can be learned. He reminded the press that one of the first measures of his mayorship was to set up an environmental committee and place two areas under conservation protection.

(Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade/MTI)