Gas emergency, the government of Vienna declares a state of ‘early warning’
AGI – Austria has declared the level of early warning in the emergency plan for gas supply. The reason is the announcement by Russia that future gas supplies will only be paid for in rubles. For the moment there are no activation measures on Austrian territory which will only be triggered starting from level 3.
At the same time, the ministry for climate, the ministry of environment, energy, innovation and technology in Vienna reminds us that gas deliveries from Russia are currently unrestricted. Domestic gas storage tanks are 13% full which corresponds to the average of recent years.
The canceller Karl Nehammer (OeVP) and the climate minister Leonore Gewessler (Verdi) promise to do everything to ensure the supply of gas to Austrian households and businesses. “We will do everything possible to guarantee gas supplies for Austrian families and businesses – said the prime minister – currently deliveries are arriving in a reliable and unrestricted way, but this can obviously change”.
The early warning phase ensures that the monitoring of the supply situation is intensified so that if there are any changes, you can react quickly. Level 1 will trigger when there are concrete and reliable indications that the gas supply could deteriorate. Firstly, it provides for an even more detailed and closer monitoring of the gas market in coordination with market participants (storage operators and large consumers).
Level 2 will come into effect when the gas supply situation worsens. Emergency level 3 will occur when gas will no longer be supplied and demand can no longer be satisfied. For the industry there will be gradually the replacement of natural gas with other energies, always with the aim of guaranteeing the supply of gas for families and small businesses. In the event of a total suspension of gas supplies from Russia, it will be possible to bypass the stages of the emergency plan.