More than a week after a fire erupted at Hungarian oil and gas giant MOL’s refinery in Százhalombatta, fuel prices are rising steadily. Viktor Orbán has therefore directed the Minister for Economic Development to meet with the company’s leadership. The Prime Minister instructed Márton Nagy to make it clear that MOL must not offset its losses from the incident by raising fuel prices for consumers.
Although a MOL spokesperson stated at a press conference the day after the incident that external interference had been ruled out, both the Prime Minister and his political director have recently suggested that outside factors may have played a role. “We still do not know whether it was an accident, a technical failure, or an external attack. The Százhalombatta refinery is one of Hungary’s five most important strategic industrial facilities. The Polish foreign minister recently advised the Ukrainians to blow up the Druzhba oil pipeline — we hope this is not the case,” the Prime Minister wrote on social media.
@PM_ViktorOrban: Last night I listened to the interior minister’s report on the incident at the Százhalombatta oil refinery. The investigation is underway at full speed. We still do not know whether it was an accident, a technical failure, or an external attack.
The… pic.twitter.com/uepe2N0gHs
— Zoltan Kovacs (@zoltanspox) October 30, 2025
PM Orbán pointed out:
Fuel prices have already spiked. I have instructed Minister for Economic Development Márton Nagy to hold talks with the leadership of MOL and make it clear that the company may not compensate for its lost profits at the expense of consumers through fuel price increases.”
Fact
Although petrol wholesale prices remain unchanged for now, the upward trend in Hungary’s diesel wholesale prices continued on October 30, with another 3 forints (1 euro=388 forints) per liter increase taking effect. According to fuel price monitoring website Holtankoljak.hu, the current average fuel prices at Hungarian filling stations are:- 95-octane petrol: 580 Ft/liter
- Diesel: 589 Ft/liter
The speculation around possible external involvement gained further momentum after Balázs Orbán, the Prime Minister’s political director, published a statement on social media linking the incident to broader regional concerns.
The investigation is ongoing into last Monday’s incident at the Danube Refinery in Százhalombatta, #Hungary’s largest and most modern oil facility, operated by MOL. It remains unclear whether the cause was an accident, a technical malfunction, or an external factor. The… pic.twitter.com/vZnhT6N052
— Balázs Orbán (@BalazsOrban_HU) October 30, 2025
“The recent events (…) highlight how fragile the region’s energy security really is,” Balázs Orbán wrote on X. “In Romania, near Ploiești, an explosion occurred at another refinery almost simultaneously with the incident in Százhalombatta. The succession of such accidents across Central Europe only reinforces the need for a responsible, calm approach and a thorough investigation of the facts.”
He went on to criticize recent remarks by Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski, who had suggested that Ukraine should “blow up” the Druzhba oil pipeline, a key route for Hungary’s energy imports.
This is an unacceptable and deeply irresponsible diplomatic statement from a minister of an EU member state,”
Balázs Orbán said. “When European leaders speak lightly about acts against critical infrastructure, it marks a dangerous step toward normalizing the logic of war,” he pointed out.
Featured image: MTI/Hegedüs Róbert
The post Government Warns MOL Over Fuel Prices After Refinery Fire appeared first on Hungary Today.
