Hungary has launched a tender for 702 MVA of grid connection capacity reserved for new wind projects, marking one of the clearest attempts in years to revive a sector that has remained largely frozen while solar capacity expanded rapidly.
Energy regulator MEKH is offering capacity at nine network nodes across six districts, with applications due by Oct. 30 and awards expected by Dec. 13.
The earliest connection date is Sept. 30, 2030, with successful projects required to complete connections by September 2032.
The tender is significant because Hungary has added large volumes of photovoltaic capacity in recent years while wind development has remained limited by regulatory and siting restrictions.
That has created an increasingly solar-heavy renewable mix.
Solar generation has helped reduce daytime wholesale prices but has also contributed to wider differences between midday and evening power values.
Wind could improve the generation profile because output is less concentrated around daylight hours.
The tender also reflects a broader shift in renewable investment across Central and Southeast Europe.
Grid access rather than generation technology is increasingly becoming the main constraint on new projects.
Hungary’s network operator must integrate rapidly growing solar generation, planned battery systems, industrial demand and future wind while maintaining stability around the country’s nuclear-heavy baseload system.
The new allocation therefore attaches value directly to scarce network capacity.
Developers are expected to face conditions covering brownfield development, local-community obligations and shared grid infrastructure.
Some elements of the scoring also favour storage and European-sourced equipment.
That could encourage wind projects to incorporate batteries from the development stage rather than treating storage as a later addition.
Hungary’s electricity system is particularly exposed to evening scarcity.
Recent day-ahead trading has repeatedly shown low or moderate midday prices followed by evening peaks above €250/MWh.
Solar generation can cover substantial daytime demand but falls rapidly after sunset.
Wind capacity with a different production profile could reduce that imbalance, particularly during autumn and winter when solar availability is lower.
The 702 MVA tender will not solve Hungary’s short-term supply tightness.
Projects cannot connect before 2030.
It does, however, indicate how the government expects the generation mix to change during the next decade.
Hungary is also expanding battery storage and maintaining nuclear generation at Paks while preparing the longer-term Paks II project.
Wind would add another layer of diversification.
For developers, the tender creates access to a market where limited wind development has kept competition lower than in solar.
But projects will still face permitting, financing and equipment risks before construction.
The tender’s greater significance lies in the message it sends to investors.
After years in which Hungary’s renewable expansion was dominated overwhelmingly by solar, the country is beginning to reserve meaningful grid capacity for wind.
That could help create a more balanced renewable portfolio after 2030 and reduce the growing gap between solar-heavy daytime supply and expensive evening electricity.
