Austria will remain dependent on gas from Russia for years to come, as the pipeline to Germany will not be completed until 2027 at the earliest.
ANNOUNCEMENT
Austria is considering bypassing the gas transit stop announced by Ukraine. Vienna could order Russian gas on its own and transport it through the Ukrainian gas pipeline. The whole thing would be independent of the end of the supply contract for the Ukrainian company Naftogaz, says the Austrian regulatory authority E-Control.
Alfons Haber from the Austrian natural gas regulatory authority ‘E-Control’ said in an interview with Euronews: “The physical line is still available, which means gas can flow, only with other contractual partners. If a market participant European comes here now and says, I would like to reserve the line to transport gas here, so there is no direct contractual relationship between Naftogaz and Gazprom, so the new conditions are satisfied.”
Naftogaz: Russia’s gas during the war is nonsense
Naftogaz declined to comment on this statement, but confirmed once again to Euronews that it does not intend to extend the current supply contract between Russia and Austria from 2025. Supporting Russia during the war by purchasing Russian gas is absurd.
It is uncertain whether Austria will be able to use the Ukrainian gas pipeline on its own from 2025. The EU has repeatedly criticized the Alpine republic for its energy dependence on Moscow.
The gas pipeline to Germany won’t be ready until 2027 at the earliest
Euronews reporter Johannes Pleschberger explains: “To replace Russian gas from the East, Austria wants to import gas from the West in the future. completed by 2027 at least, that is, two years late. Because of these omissions, Austria will likely continue to depend on Russia and Ukraine. Johannes Pleschberger, Euronews, Vienna”