Wide protests unfolding against investments threatening Hungary’s great lakes Commentary A growing number of public and private investments is posing enormous threats to Hungarian lakes. By András Lukács
Freezing fuel prices adds fuel to the fire Commentary The Hungarian government has found a unique way to prevent fuel prices from rising further by freezing the prices of petrol and diesel at a maximum price of 480 forints and passing the increase in world prices on to domestic distributors. More worryingly, however, this measure is exacerbating the very problems it is supposedly trying to avoid. By András Lukács
10 Things You Need To Know About Hydrogen Listicle The EU and Germany aim to be climate neutral by 2050 and 2045, respectively. The commitment to climate neutrality means that zero-emission alternatives will replace emissions-intensive processes and products. One energy alternative is climate-friendly hydrogen. However, hydrogen is not an all-purpose miracle that solves everything at once.
Plan for completion of the Dukovany nuclear power plant continues to pose a security threat Analysis Czech Industry and Trade Minister Karel Havlíček refused to exclude Russia’s Rosatom from the tender until it was revealed that operatives from Russian military intelligence, the GRU, were behind the 2014 explosions at munitions warehouses in Vrbětice. Even now, however, the Russian candidate is not out of play entirely. How is that possible, and what does it mean for Czech security? By František Marčík
Texas Power Grid Failure: Causes, Lessons Learned and Implications for EU Energy Market Transformation Analysis In mid-February 2021, the US state of Texas, much like the rest of the country, was hit by a series of three severe winter storms. The resulting near-arctic weather conditions have laid bare the long-standing weaknesses and inefficiencies of the Texas energy system. By Matěj Jungwirth
Behind a Climate Smokescreen: Czech Support for Nuclear Energy Analysis At first glance, it might seem that the Czech climate movement can put the flags out. A government bill on measures for the Czech Republic’s transition to a low-carbon energy industry has been submitted to the Chamber of Deputies and is being debated rapidly in extraordinary sessions. The title of the bill may evoke the anti-fossil law which was urged by Czech environmental organizations in the “Great Challenge” (“Velká výzva”) campaign for years. Nevertheless, as we learn in one of the bill’s introductory articles, the Definition of Terms, a low-carbon electricity generating plant for the purpose of this law means one with a nuclear reactor. The rapid reduction of risks related to global climate change is obviously not the real goal of this bill. By Karel Polanecký
Slovak 2020 General Elections: Analyses of Parliament Scenario(s) Article Slovak political landscape is exceptionally fragmented ahead of February 29 general elections. One of the last opinion polls published before the election polls moratorium foresees eight parties to be represented in the parliament. However, conceivable scenarios include 6 to 12 parties possibly entering the parliament. This pre-election analysis was published by EuroPolicy in cooperation with the Prague office of the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung. By Zuzana Gabrižová
The nuclear legacy nobody wants Czech nuclear reactors have so far produced at least 4000 tons of highly radioactive waste. If the number of reactors grows, so will the amount of waste produced. The government has long declared itself in favor of developing nuclear energy even as it still does not know how to solve the nuclear waste problem. Martin Sedlák takes a look. By Martin Sedlák
When it comes to nature, Hungary’s conservatives won’t conserve Environmental policy and the sustainable energy transition have never been top priorities of Hungary’s right-wing populist government, and 2018 was no different in this respect. That said, the progress made in different areas of policy varies, and some sectors performed better than others. What follows is not a detailed sectoral analysis, but rather an overview of last year’s important developments and trends. By Tamás Ibolya
The Czech Nuclear Vision: An Elephant on Feet of Clay The Czech Republic’s new government has made one of its central promises to build new nuclear reactors. Most administrations have made similar pledges, but new ground has not been broken since 2004. Martin Sedlák asks: can the government succeed this time? By Martin Sedlák