The domestic gas storage facilities are 13 percent full, which corresponds to the average in recent years. Chancellor Karl Nehammer (ÖVP) and Climate Minister Leonore Gewessler (Greens) promised to do everything to ensure the gas supply for Austria’s households and businesses. 80 percent of gas deliveries in Austria come from Russia.
With the early warning level, the monitoring and monitoring system on the gas market will be further tightened, the ministry said. Energy control measures such as rationing will not come for the time being – they are only planned from level three. Last Thursday, the National Council decided to create a strategic gas reserve. It will cost around 1.6 to two billion euros – depending on the gas price – and will be available from November of this year.
Early warning level for gas proclaimed
Austria has declared the early warning level in the gas supply emergency plan. Germany did the same.
Germany is leading the way
The German Ministry of Economics had already announced the early warning level of its gas emergency plan in the morning. This is intended to protect the Federal Republic once morest an escalation on the part of Russia and thus a poorer supply of gas. The security of supply is still guaranteed. Nevertheless, from now on every gas consumer – from business to private households – is required to reduce their consumption as much as possible.
The German early warning level means that a crisis team will meet at the Ministry of Economic Affairs, consisting of authorities and energy suppliers. The gas suppliers and the operators of the gas pipelines are obliged to regularly assess the situation for the German government.
Warnings from SPÖ and NEOS
After the German move, SPÖ and NEOS had asked the local government to act as well. “While our neighbor Germany is prepared for a possible gas supply freeze by Russia and is reacting as a precaution to protect the population and the economy, Minister Gewessler obviously misjudges the seriousness of the situation and has no plan,” said the SPÖ. NEOS asked: “What are Austria’s plans for a possible gas supply stop?”
Payment in rubles not immediately
The background to the activation of the emergency plans is the government in Moscow’s demand that gas deliveries should only be paid for in rubles. The West rejects that. Payment in euros or dollars has been agreed in the current contracts. Payment in rubles was originally supposed to take effect on Thursday. Russian President Vladimir Putin’s instruction to switch to ruble payments is not yet valid for this Thursday, but Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday. The delivery of gas and payment are separate processes.
Putin wants to meet with representatives of the Russian gas giant Gazprom and the central bank on Thursday to be informed regarding the current state of affairs. The announced meeting and the refusal of Western countries to switch to the ruble had sparked fears in Europe that Russia might quickly shut down gas supplies. Peskow had also said that if no payment was made, no gas would come. Russia is not a charity. Russia wants to switch to ruble payments because of Western sanctions in the wake of the war in Ukraine because, according to Putin, the country can no longer do anything with euros and dollars.
Netherlands not yet activating emergency plan
The Netherlands does not want to activate its gas emergency plan yet. However, the population is being asked to reduce their gas consumption, said the spokesman for the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Tim van Dijk, on Wednesday. The emergency plan is only activated “when there is actually a bottleneck or the risk of this happening is great”.
According to the EU Commission, it is prepared for possible supply disruptions to gas from Russia. “We are prepared for everything and we will also work very closely with the member states so that everyone can prepare well for this situation,” said EU Commission Vice-President Frans Timmermans in Brussels on Wednesday, without going into details.