The Hungarian government has declared a state of emergency in energy, ordered an export ban on energy sources and scrapped a years-long cap on utility prices for households using energy above average consumption levels, Gergely Gulyas, head of the Hungarian Prime Minister's office, said on Wednesday.

The measures, which also include a plan to boost domestic gas output to 2 billion cubic meters from 1.5 billion, will take effect from August to ensure the continued supply of energy in winter, Gulyas said.

(Cover: A power plant by heating firm SZETAV operating a geothermal energy project is pictured in Szeged, Hungary, June 16, 2022. /CFP)