Drilling starts for geothermal well at Budapest International Airport, Hungary
Geothermal drilling operations at the Budapest Airport in Hungary (source: SZFTH / Aradi Barna)
Carlo Cariaga
29 May 2025
Drilling of a geothermal well at the Budapest Airport in Hungary has started, a product of the country's licensing reforms to encourage geothermal growth.
Drilling has started on the first geothermal well for the Liszt Ferenc International Airport, the international airport of Budapest, Hungary. If the project meets expectations, then geothermal can replace the natural gas heating currently being used in the Budapest Airport.
“As a responsible airport operator, we are convinced that urgent action and long-term, sustainable solutions are needed in the field of environmental protection,” said László Eiszrich, Deputy Chief Technical Officer of Budapest Airport. He added: “If the exploratory drilling brings the expected results, it will be a huge step towards reducing carbon dioxide emissions from the airport’s direct activities by more than 90% by 2030 at the latest.”
Drilling is being done by state-owned Rotaqua kft. The development of the geothermal heat supply system is being managed by Arctic Green Energy Terv Ktf.
Licensing reform paves the way for faster geothermal growth
The geothermal heat project in the Budapest Airport is being implemented under the new licensing environment established by the Hungarian Regulatory Authority (SZTFH). This licensing reform was crucial in enabling increased interest in geothermal energy research within a short time, including in and around Budapest. In the past two years, the agency has received 12 geothermal research applications, of which 73 have already been approved.
“By exploiting its potential more intensively and building on the favorable conditions of the Carpathian Basin, geothermal energy can become a driving force for the Hungarian green economy,” said Attila Steiner, State Secretary for Energy. “Thanks to the measures of the National Geothermal Utilization Concept adopted last year, we can double domestic use by 2030.“
The State Secretary further emphasized that Hungary is already one of the leaders for geothermal in Europe, with systems operating in Szeged, Gy?röt, Miskolc, Szentes and Mosonmagyaróvár, among other settlements.
The Hungarian government is particularly supporting the spread of geothermal energy, and the largest sectoral modernization program in Hungary’s history, the Jedlik Ányos Energy Program, is also used to a significant extent for this. The total value of the applications for companies is more than 440 billion forints (approx. EUR 1.1 billion), and three out of ten calls specifically encourage geothermal investments.
Dr. László Nagy, President of the SZTFH, stresses that the numbers indicate that geothermal is gaining momentum in Hungary, and that the country is successfully mobilizing its resources to develop this renewable resource.
Source: SZTFH and Hungary Today
