FGSZ announced restrictions on consumption of consumers that use more than 2,500 cubic metres of gas per hour late Tuesday, and it ordered restrictions for consumers that use 500-2,500 cubic metres of gas per hour early Wednesday.

Production at Magyar Suzuki's plant in Esztergom, near Budapest, was shut down at 10:00, communications director Viktoria Ruska told MTI, confirming reports. Workers were sent home, but production is expected to start up again on Monday, she said.

The restrictions have not affected Audi Hungaria, where gas is used in the production of some engine parts, but electricity is used for most of production, communications director Peter Lore said. The production halls and offices at the plant in Gyor (NW Hungary) use district heating, he added.

Production at aluminium giant Alcoa's unit in Hungary was cut after it was ordered to reduce its consumption from 11,000 cubic metres per hour to 7,000 by noon, Alcoa-Kofem technical director Gyula Maar said.

The Hungarian unit of US carbon fibre maker Zoltek cut production by three-fourths, CEO of the unit Sandor Horvath told MTI.

US-based AES's Tisza II, Hungary's second-biggest gas-fueled power plant, switched from gas entirely to oil on Wednesday, spokesman Laszlo Balla told MTI.

Other power plant heads also told MTI they had switched over to oil.

Korean tyre maker Hankook stopped production on Wednesday, but expects to start up again for the night shift on Friday, if it gets permission, spokeswoman Katalin Roy told MTI.

Pick Szeged, Hungary's biggest meat company, cut production and was forced to stop slaughtering hogs at its main base, CEO Laszlo Kovacs said. If the company -- as a food producer -- is given an exemption from the restrictions, production could be restarted as soon as Thursday morning, he added.

Aladar Kato, who heads the Hungarian unit of Austrian brick and tile maker Tondach, said gas consumption at Tondach Magyarorszag's four tile plants and one brick plant would be reduced from 5,100 to 600 cubic metres per hour by noon on Wednesday. As a result, one-third of product waiting to be fired in kilns will become scrap, he added. Restarting production will take several days, he said.

Tondach is sending home the afternoon shifts at all of its plants.

The Hungarian unit of brick maker Wienerberger shut down production at all three of its operating plants by noon, Wienerberger Teglaipari production manager Jozsef Kovacs told MTI.

The Hungarian unit of Swiss cement giant Holcim has not been affected by the restrictions, because furnaces at its two plants are fueled with coal, not gas, communications director Iren Marta told MTI. Gas is only required when the furnaces are fired up, she added.

Ukrainian-owned Hungarian steel maker ISD Dunaferr is not affected by the current restriction as it cut its gas consumption earlier when it scaled back production because of the global economic crisis, CEO Valerij Naumenko told MTI. The company consumes just 5,000-5,500 cubic metres of gas an hour now, down from 28,000-30,000 cubic metres an hour when it operated at full capacity.

Ferihegy International Airport stopped heating with gas and switched over to oil on Wednesday morning, Domokos Szollar, the spokesman for airport operator Budapest Airport, told MTI. The airport uses about 4,000 square metres of gas per hour.

Westend City Center, a big shopping mall in the centre of Budapest, cut its gas usage two-thirds on Wednesday, lowering temperatures and limiting hot water supply, Peter Posch, who heads the company that manages the shopping centre, told MTI.

UK-owned hypermarket Tesco is considering how to cut its gas consumption, spokeswoman Monika Hackl told MTI. Some smaller stores could be closed temporarily, she added.