“Will not hold out”: Austria warns Germany of gas embargo
“Won’t make it through”
Austria warns Germany of gas embargo
05/06/2022, 04:15 am
So far, neither Germans nor Austrians can do without Russian gas. The Austrian Economics Minister therefore warns against enforcing an import ban in the EU. In order to secure the energy demand, she advocates the promotion of fracking in Europe.
After the EU Commission’s proposal for an oil embargo, the Austrian Economics Minister Margarete Schramböck warned Germany against also considering a gas embargo. “We mustn’t send any signals in the direction of the gas embargo if we know that we won’t be able to keep it up – and neither we nor Germany will be able to keep it up,” Schramböck told the newspapers of the Funke media group. “A gas embargo is a clear red line for Austria,” said the ÖVP politician.
In any case, Germany cannot count on deliveries from Austrian gas storage facilities. “We are one of the few countries in Europe whose storage capacities exceed our own needs,” said Schramböck. In Haidach there is a gas storage facility owned by the Russian gas company Gazprom, which is intended “exclusively for German needs”. This is currently “empty” – and that will not change anytime soon.
“For us, the question arises as to who will pay for it if the European Union stipulates that the reservoirs must be filled,” said Schramböck. “We can use Austrian tax money to make provisions for the storage facilities that serve Austria’s needs. But we can’t use Austrian tax money to buy gas for Germany, France or the Netherlands,” she confirmed. Her government’s focus is currently “on saving for domestic needs.” The goal is to replenish this storage from the current 18 to 80 percent.
The Austrian Economy Minister stressed that her country is trying to become independent of Russian gas. With a current dependency of 80 percent, however, this will not happen quickly. Schramböck sees opportunities in biogas in particular and calls for a biogas quota in order to promote this industry. At the same time, the conservative politician spoke out in favor of promoting fracking in Europe. “We must not close our minds and argue with the technological status of 20 years ago. The technology has evolved,” said Schramböck. There are methods to promote shale gas in an environmentally friendly way. “The European Union must rely on fracking,” demanded the ÖVP politician. In addition, new partnerships are needed in the medium term, for example with Saudi Arabia.