Austria sees major risks from a sudden stop in the flow of Russian gas, which meets the needs of the Central European country's export-oriented heavy industry, according to Bloomberg.
European gas prices have soared after a Ukrainian military attack near a key cross-border gas transit point in Russia, prompting energy officials and traders to reassess potential supply disruptions. .
"As long as we remain dependent on Russian gas supplies, there remains a major risk of supply disruptions with far-reaching consequences. We must end Austria's dependence on Russian gas supplies as much as possible. as soon as possible" - said the Austrian Ministry of Energy.
Austria's ruling coalition pledged to end Russian gas imports by 2027 as part of a sweeping transformation of the country's energy system. The Austrian government plans to present a detailed roadmap before the September 29 election.
Even without Russian gas, Austria can still meet enough, or even double, its demand each year through gas pipelines from Italy and Germany, according to an Austrian government report published in June. Gas transit capacity will increase from about 185 terawatt-hours this year to 212 terawatt-hours in 2027.
Austria's fuel consumption fell about 23% in the first half of this year compared to an average demand of 91 terawatt-hours before the Russia-Ukraine conflict broke out in February 2022. Last year, Austria used only 75 terawatt-hours of gas.
According to the worst scenario announced by the Austrian government, if Russian gas flows suddenly stop and Austria cannot transport more through Italy, the amount of gas in storage could drop to only 15% of capacity by 2026.
A more likely scenario is that Russian supplies will stop from January 2025, new shipments through Italy will meet Austria's increased demand and the country's reserves will reach 60% by 2027. .
Austria maintains one of Europe's longest and deepest relationships with Russian energy . In 2018, Austria extended its long-term gas contract with Russia until 2040.
Reuters reported that on August 13, fierce fighting between Ukrainian and Russian forces near the gas pipeline that Russia used to supply gas to Austria did not disrupt the supply.
Armin Teichert - spokesman for network operator Gas Connect Austria said: "We did not record any pressure fluctuations, all orders were deployed as planned and there were no unusual signs." .
On the same day, Russia's Gazprom also said it was still pumping gas to Ukraine through Sudzha - a town right near the border with Ukraine.
It is currently unclear which side controls the Russian town of Sudzha. This is where Russia pumps gas from Western Siberia through Ukraine to Slovakia and other European Union countries.
The EU significantly reduced its dependence on Russian gas after the war in Ukraine began in 2022, making Austria the EU country most dependent on Russian supplies.
On August 3 this year, Austria's energy regulator E-Control said that even if Russian gas supplies were stopped, the country still had enough gas reserves for peak demand in winter.
Data from the European Gas Infrastructure organization shows that Austria's gas storage facilities hold about 88.8 terawatt-hours, meaning gas reserves are at more than 88% of capacity.
