Russia Halts Gas Deliveries to Austria
Austria’s Environment Minister, Leonore Gewessler, says Russia is using energy as a weapon again. This time, it’s suspending all gas deliveries to Austria.
Starting on November 16th at 06:00 CET, Gazprom will stop sending gas to Austria. This affects up to 7,400 megawatt hours of gas supplies. The Austrian energy company OMV announced this development and assured the public that they have stable supplies through other sources.
Austria used to rely heavily on Russian gas, but it has been reducing its dependence on Russia in recent years. OMV diversified its supply by building reserves and importing gas from Norway and liquefied natural gas (LNG). This means Austria is better prepared for disruptions like this one.
Gazprom, Russia’s state-owned energy giant, made a $6.9 billion net loss in 2023 due to EU sanctions over Ukraine. OMV said it has enough stored gas to meet all its contractual obligations and that it’s ready to handle this situation.
The Ukrainian publication Liga notes that Gazprom’s decision will also reduce gas transit through Ukraine.
Read More @ euromaidanpress.com