Russia’s state-owned natural gas company Gazprom is turning off its supply to Austria after Austria said it wouldn’t pay anymore until it had received 230 million euros worth of gas, following an arbitration ruling with Austria's energy company OMV who is owed this sum from a dispute.
Russia’s state-owned energy company Gazprom will halt natural gas deliveries to Austria’s OMV utility starting early Saturday, according to Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer. He says that Austria’s underground gas storage is full and the country has secured alternative, non-Russian supplies.
The cutoff follows OMV’s decision to stop payments to Gazprom for gas supplied to its Austrian division. This decision was made to offset a €230 million ($242 million) arbitration award OMV won after Gazprom cut gas deliveries to its German subsidiary.
Chancellor Nehammer, speaking at a press conference Friday, emphasized that Austria’s energy security is intact.
“No one will freeze this winter, no home will be cold. Our gas storage facilities are full, and we have sufficient capacity to obtain gas from other regions. We cannot be blackmailed,” he declared.
OMV announced the supply halt via a statement on the Central European Gas Hub website but declined further comment. Gazprom also has not responded.
Russia significantly reduced gas supplies to Europe in 2022, citing payment disputes. Gazprom had asked for payments to be in rubles. European leaders labeled this move as energy blackmail due to their support for Ukraine amidst Russia’s invasion. The supply cuts led to skyrocketing gas prices and record-high inflation, which peaked in October 2022 but has since eased.
European countries scrambled to secure alternative supplies, including liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the U.S. and Qatar. However, Austria, Slovakia, and Hungary continue to receive Russian gas through a pipeline running via Ukraine. Ukraine has announced it will cease gas transit after January 1, 2025, leaving these countries to seek new suppliers.
Austria’s dependency on Russian gas remains high, accounting for as much as 98% of imports in December 2023, according to Energy Minister Leonore Gewessler. While the European Union has largely ended imports of Russian oil, it has not directly sanctioned Russian gas. The EU aims to phase out Russian gas imports by 2027 as part of its nonbinding targets.
Austria has a long history of reliance on Russian gas, dating back to 1968 when it became the first Western European country to import gas from the Soviet Union. In 2018, a deal extending gas supplies until 2040 was signed during Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to Austria. The contract obligates OMV to pay for the gas whether it is delivered or not.
Minister Gewessler has initiated a commission to review the circumstances surrounding the contract and explore legal options for termination.
Yemen's air force carried out 20 strikes on Houthi targets earlier on Friday, Brigadier General Majid Abdullah Al-Nuzaili, Spokesman for t...
The European Space Agency (ESA), Airbus and European partners have put a six-wheeled Mars rover prototype through its paces in Spain’s Tabern...
Azerbaijan won 22 medals, including seven gold, at the Mingachevir Regatta 2026 as more than 100 young rowers from 12 countries competed in the int...
Yemen's air force carried out 20 strikes on Houthi targets earlier on Friday, Brigadier General Majid Abdullah Al-Nuzaili, Spokesman for the Yemeni Armed Forces, said. Meanwhile, the Iran-backed Houthis denied targeting a power plant supplying energy to a mosque in Medina, Saudi Arabia.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel may participate in the investigation into a serious incident aboard a flydubai flight bound for Tel Aviv, while investigators examine the motive of the co-pilot involved.
Passengers from a flydubai flight that was diverted to Saudi Arabia after an alleged attempt to crash the aircraft have arrived safely in Israel.
Russia has warned NATO that it would be prepared to use nuclear weapons if the Western alliance attempted to isolate Kaliningrad, a Russian exclave on the Baltic Sea, according to a diplomatic document seen by Reuters.
British counter-terrorism police have arrested a 27-year-old dual UK-Iranian national as part of an investigation into a suspected plot involving RAF Fairford, an airbase used by U.S. forces for operations against Iran.
A retired Australian builder has arrived in Baku in his 1929 Pontiac Roadster during an epic journey from Bangkok to Istanbul, using the nearly century-old car to raise money for Parkinson’s research.
Around 400 schools across France remained closed on Friday as protests over teacher shortages and deteriorating buildings escalated into violence, leaving dozens injured and leading to 2,000 arrests.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that Moscow wanted to end the war in Ukraine through negotiations as soon as possible, while insisting that any settlement must meet conditions acceptable to Russia and include security guarantees.
The family of Renee Good, a U.S. citizen fatally shot by an immigration agent in Minneapolis in January, has sued the Trump administration, accusing federal officials of excessive force and unconstitutional conduct.
Ukraine is working to resolve a diplomatic dispute with South Korea after Kyiv publicly disclosed the transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war to Seoul, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on Thursday, 1 October.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment