Austria does not expect any problems with gas supplies after Ukraine stops Russian gas transit
31 December 11:42
Austria should not face any interruptions in natural gas supplies, as the country was preparing to switch from natural gas supplies from the east to western alternatives after the termination of Ukraine’s contract with Gazprom. Reuters reports this with reference to the message of the Austrian energy regulator E-Control, Komersant ukrainskyi informs.
According to Markus Krug, deputy head of the gas department of E-Control, the regulator is closely monitoring the events, but does not expect disruptions in gas supplies, as Austria has foreseen the possibility of obtaining it from other places and has created reserves.
“This is a major adjustment of gas flow from east to west, but traders have been preparing and have already assessed the changes,” said Markus Krug.
He believes that prices may temporarily rise after January 1, but will likely fall again when the market sees that everything is working.
According to Reuters, Austria’s OMV also said that it would not be directly affected by the suspension of Russian gas transit through Ukraine.
As noted in the OMV statement, the company has taken steps to diversify its supplies to ensure customer service.
It is worth recalling that in early December, the Austrian oil company OMV terminated its gas supply contract with Russia’s Gazprom Export, which was supposed to be valid until 2040. The company explained the termination of the contract, which was concluded in 2006, by “numerous significant violations of contractual obligations” by the Russians. At the same time, OMV CEO Alfred Stern said that his company now receives gas from its own fields in Norway and Austria, from external gas producers, and in the form of liquefied natural gas.
What about Russian gas supplies to other European countries?
Markus Krug, deputy head of the gas department of the Austrian regulator E-Control, notes that Russian gas will most likely still come through Turkey, which will continue to supply gas to Hungary, and emphasized that the situation around Slovakia deserves the most attention.
According to his estimates, the majority of gas supplies to Slovakia could come from Hungary, about a third from Austria, and the rest from the Czech Republic and Poland.
Reuters reminds us that Slovakia is in conflict with Ukraine and wants to keep its own transit from Russia. However, it is believed that due to storage capacities and diversified transit routes, the loss of supplies from the east will not affect Slovak consumption.
The gas dispute between Ukraine and Slovakia continues
The day before, Slovakia rejected Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s accusations that Prime Minister Robert Fico had opened a “second energy front” against Kyiv on Russia’s orders.
As you know, the President of Ukraine responded harshly to Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico’s threats to cut off electricity supplies to Ukraine.
“It seems that Putin has instructed Fico to open a second energy front against Ukraine at the expense of the interests of the people of Slovakia. This is the only way Fico’s threats to cut off Ukraine’s emergency electricity supply in the winter in the face of Russian attacks on our power plants and distribution network can mean,” the President of Ukraine said in response to the Slovak prime minister’s threats.
In response, Slovak Foreign Minister Juraj Blanar said that Slovakia was closely following reports from Ukraine regarding Fico’s statements and called Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s suggestions of an alliance with Russian President Putin “fabricated.”
“We are well aware that they are subjected to a long-term military conflict, but that is why they should not create new enemies and invent a second front, because the countries of the European Union, including Slovakia, support Ukraine and its people,” Blanar wrote on Facebook.
By the way, Poland has already expressed its readiness to increase electricity exports to Ukraine if Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico fulfills his threat to stop backup electricity supplies to Ukraine.
