According to Energy Minister Leonore Gewessler (Greens), if Russian gas deliveries via the “Nord Stream 1” pipeline do not materialize even after maintenance, it will be necessary to assess whether the gas storage tanks can be filled up to 80 percent by the start of the heating season.
That’s the criteria for the next step in the gas emergency plan, Gewessler said today. If that goal is in jeopardy, “then the next steps are also for us, that means the alarm level too.”
Putin “is not a reliable counterparty”
Russian President Vladimir Putin “is not a reliable counterparty,” Gewessler said at the presentation of a hydrogen project by Burgenland Energie und Verbund. The coming days will show whether Russian gas supplies will resume after maintenance of the “Nord Stream 1” pipeline and to what extent.
“For us Nord Stream 1 is not the central supply route, but for Germany it is,” the minister said. “If Nord Stream 1 stops delivering, it will be an extremely tense situation for all of Europe.”
That is why there will be an extraordinary council of energy ministers in Brussels on Tuesday to assess the situation and discuss the European Commission’s new proposal for the winter plan.
Gas storage more than 50 percent full
Austrian gas storage facilities are now more than 50 percent full, and gas continued to be stored despite the total failure of “Nord Stream 1”. The supply corresponds to about half of Austria’s annual consumption. “We can access all volumes in an emergency,” Gewessler said. This could be done in the energy control by regulation course with a two-thirds majority on the main committee of the National Council.
Despite the maintenance of “Nord Stream 1”, Austria’s gas storage facilities continued to fill up, albeit more slowly. In the first eight days of the ten-day maintenance interval, about two terawatt hours (TWh) flowed into storage. For comparison: In the eight days prior to the start of maintenance, it was 2.6 TWh. Storage facilities in Austria are currently 50% full, at the start of maintenance the level was 48.3% according to the AGSI gas storage database.
However, during pipeline maintenance – as expected by E-Control and the Ministry of Energy – gas was also withdrawn from the storage facilities. In total, the withdrawal in the first eight days of maintenance was 0.4 TWh. The conclusion is that the gas storage tanks were filled by 1.6 TWh more during the maintenance window.