The figures show that despite the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic, electricity consumption is rising: this November we consumed nearly 5% more electricity than in November 2019. This significantly surpassed even the very high growth of 2,7% in October. It is an eloquent figure that the maximum peak demand per month was 6960 MW on 26 November. This is only 145 MW below the historic peak measured in December 2019.

The November data confirm the fact that in late autumn and winter, windless and often foggy, dark weeks and months, when neither wind farms nor solar panels produce electricity, the contribution of weather-dependent production to supply security and carbon neutrality is insignificant. There was a week in November when the Paks Nuclear Power Plant produced 25 times more electricity than the weather-dependent renewable power plant capacities combined, although the combined installed capacity of domestic wind and solar power plants (2068 MW) now exceeds the nominal capacity of the Paks Nuclear Power Plant (2000 MW). Last month, the task of clean electricity generation was left almost exclusively to the Paks Nuclear Power Plant. The role of nuclear power has grown to 90% among carbon-free power generators, despite the maintenance of Unit 3 of the Paks Nuclear Power Plant during this period.

In order to achieve climate protection goals, Hungary must rely on nuclear energy in the long run. The four clean-producing Paks units will be shut down in the 30s – the two new units will be built to replace them. Important steps were taken in the investment in 2020 as well. In June, the Paks II. project company submitted the application for a nuclear implementation license to the Hungarian Atomic Energy Authority (HAEA). In November, the project obtained the so-called electricity implementation license from the Hungarian Energy and Public Utility Regulatory Authority. Several facilities in the construction and erection base have received construction licenses from the HAEA, and construction work on the Power Plant Investment Centre has also begun. The acquisition of the nuclear implementation license issued by the HAEA is expected by the autumn of 2021 - in possession of this, the actual construction, production, procurement and installation works of the new units can start.

Imports also increased

The monthly average import to gross consumption ratio increased significantly in November, from 22,64% in October to 29,2%. Intraday imports exceeded 35% in some cases, peaking at 38,4% on 16 November.