On the 11th of March, the Coal Commission, the first permanent consultative forum on coal transition in Hungary, held its inaugural meeting online. The strategic goal of the government's energy and climate policy is to transform the Mátra Power Plant in a sustainable and environmentally friendly way and to guarantee a balanced energy supply and energy security for the region. The newly established proposal and decision support body will ensure the involvement of the actors involved in the coal management process, the continuity of the discussions and the dissemination of results and proposals," said Attila Steiner, State Secretary for the Development of the Circular Economy, Energy and Climate Policy in his welcome speech.
The power plant is currently the largest greenhouse gas emitter in Hungary, but it also plays a prominent role in Hungarian electricity generation. It also employs more than 2,000 people and nearly 1,000 local businesses depend on its operations. It is therefore very important that the implementation of the environmentally friendly transition does not endanger jobs and the livelihoods of small and medium-sized enterprises in the region, but creates opportunities to facilitate the transition,” the State Secretary recalled.
The Coal Commission is part of the EU project “LIFE-IP North-HU-Trans”, the main objective of which is to achieve a sustainable and equitable transition between the power plant and the region, as set out in the Climate and Nature Action Plan.
Nearly 60 organisations were represented at the inaugural meeting, including representatives of local and county governments, central government, NGOs, relevant companies, higher education institutions and vocational training centres, tourism and health organisations.
The event presented information on coal regions, international trends, national concepts, the operation of the Coal Commission, the planned activities and results of the LIFE-IP North-HU-Trans project, and the European Union’s Just Transition Fund, which provides significant resources for the transition to coal.
The meeting was organised by the Coal Commission Secretariat in the framework of the LIFE IP North-HU-Trans project.
Source : kormany.hu
Photos by Melinda Temesi / Grazmel Photography