On 26 February 2025, the European Commission (EC) unveiled the Clean Industrial Deal (CID), a comprehensive strategy aimed at enhancing the competitiveness and resilience of European industry while accelerating decarbonisation. In response to high energy costs and increasing global competition, the CID positions decarbonisation as a key driver of growth, ensuring that Europe remains a hub for industrial innovation and production. By reducing bureaucratic hurdles, promoting clean technology and securing financing for the green transition, the initiative strengthens critical sectors such as energy-intensive industries and clean tech.

Stratulat Albulescu has elevated Manuela Iurascu and Raluca Gabor to Partner as part of the firm's latest promotion round.

Kinstellar has advised the MVM Group on developing a 500-megawatt combined-cycle gas turbine power plant at the Matra Power Plant in North-East Hungary.

At the end of 2024, the Ministry of Mining and Energy announced the second auction for wind and solar power plants. The deadline for applying for participation in the auctions is 05.02.2025. year. After consideration of all applications and bids, the entire capacity offered at the auctions for wind farms (300 MW) and for solar power plants (124.8 MW) was successfully allocated.

Let's start with the fundamentals: Hungary will need significant additional power plant and battery capacities, and it will need them soon. This necessity persists despite the gross amount of solar power capacity reaching 7.5 GW by the end of 2024, a target initially set for the 2030s. The drive for electrification, the goal to reduce energy imports, the high average age of the existing generator portfolio and the previous focus on solar energy necessitate at least 10 GW of new generation capacities, with a preference for baseload generation and/or storage solutions. The state-owned incumbent MVM is already developing 3x500 MW new combined cycle gas turbine (CCGT) installations and 2x1000 MW new nuclear blocks, but significant private investment is still required.

The target for renewable energy consumption in Europe is to reach at least 42.5 percent by 2030 for all sectors, under Directive (EU) 2023/2413 of the European Parliament and of the Council. Known as RED III, it encourages the conclusion of power purchase agreements (PPAs) by requiring member states to adopt various measures.