Holló Szilvia Andrea: Budapest's Public Works - Our Budapest (Budapest, 2010)

Town gas from coal - The Óbuda Gas Works (1913-84)

residential blocks with the uniquely valuable factory units (such as the clock house, the water and tar towers and the power centre) receiving the status of protected monument. Although the government and the municipality of Budapest jointly pledged to arrange a museum in the old buildings, the investment has not yet been started.

in 1991 Budapest Gas Works ceased to be a council-managed state property and was transferred into municipal ownership, and has been functioning as a joint-stock company since 1 December 1993. As the company refrained from raising its prices, it ran into heavy debts and thus could not avoid privatisation. That occurred on 14 December 1995 after the bid made by the Ruhrgas consortium was found to be the most favourable by the municipality. As by the end of the 20th century several towns and villages in the Tápió valley had been added to the areas supplied with gas from Budapest, data of nearly half a million users were now processed in an integrated system of calculating and collecting fees. As of 1 January 2007 and in the wake of changing legal regulations the company split in two: FŐGÁZ Gas Distribution Ltd. and Budapest Gas Works Co.

■ A gauge ihowing gai leakage

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