From September 2025 through August 2026, low-carbon sources supplied about 60% of Hungary’s electricity consumption. Nuclear provided almost a third, while solar contributed roughly 22%, making these the country’s main clean electricity sources. Biofuels supplied about 4% and wind about 1%. Fossil fuels accounted for around 20%, mostly gas at about 17%, with coal contributing roughly 3%. Net imports supplied the remaining 20%; their low-carbon or fossil composition is not specified in these figures.

Is Electricity Growing in Hungary?

Hungary’s latest figures show a decline rather than growth in electricity consumption per person. The 2026 figure of 4,677 kWh per person was 217 kWh, or about 4%, below the previous record of 4,894 kWh in 2025. Low-carbon electricity generation also slipped to 2,822 kWh per person, roughly 148 kWh—or about 5%—below its 2025 record of 2,969 kWh. This retreat in clean electricity generation is concerning: expanding low-carbon supply would better position Hungary to meet future electricity demand from electrification and AI while reducing reliance on fossil fuels and imports.

Suggestions

Hungary should expand nuclear and solar generation, building on the substantial contribution both already make. Neighboring Slovakia, where nuclear supplies 66% of electricity, offers a particularly relevant example, while France’s 67% nuclear share demonstrates the scale this clean technology can achieve. For solar, the US state of Nevada generates 35% of its electricity from sunlight, providing a useful example of a larger solar contribution, though local conditions differ. Wind could complement these investments: nearby Austria generates 12% of its electricity from wind and Romania 13%, while Germany reaches 31%. Learning from these regions and investing in grids and electricity storage alongside new generation would help Hungary expand its clean electricity supply and displace fossil generation associated with climate change and air pollution.

History

Hungary’s low-carbon electricity history began with strong nuclear expansion: the annual increases recorded from 1983 through 1988 added up to 13.5 TWh. The 2.9 TWh nuclear decline in 2003 was a serious setback for clean electricity output, followed by increases totaling 4 TWh across 2004, 2005 and 2007; biofuels also increased by 0.9 TWh in 2005. More recently, solar became a major growth engine, with annual gains from 2019 through 2025 totaling 10 TWh, including especially strong increases in 2023 and 2024. Nuclear declines of 1.1 TWh in 2020 and 0.8 TWh in 2026 were disappointing reversals that underscore the importance of sustaining and expanding Hungary’s nuclear contribution alongside continued solar growth.

Electricity Imports and Exports

Balance of Trade

* 12M = Last 12 months (Sep 2025 – Aug 2026) — a rolling 12-month period, not a calendar year.