E-Control board reassured because of gas emergency – Austria
E-Control board member Alfons Haber reassured whether the maintenance work on the Nord Stream gas pipeline. Austria’s gas storage facilities are well filled, the repair process is a common and announced process.
For any emergencies, one is in contact with large and small companies, said E-Control board member Alfons Haber in the “Ö1-Morgenjournal”. “We are doing well compared to other countries,” he said. Annual consumption is 40 percent guaranteed, which is high compared to other countries.
In addition, Austria would also have other supplier countries than Russia, for example from the Caspian region, North Africa and Norway. Should a gas emergency occur, the companies are planned and have a lead time of several days. Haber was not given full details of which companies should supply gas in the event of an emergency; this depends on many factors, such as the time of year.
Gazprom cut gas supplies
Yesterday, the partly state-owned OMV also calmed down, but also announced a reduction in gas supplies via the Nord Stream Baltic Sea pipeline. The supply of the customers is not in danger. The Ministry of Climate Protection also sees no signs of a delivery stop, but is monitoring the situation, it said yesterday. In Europe, Germany, the Czech Republic, France and Italy are also affected by the delivery reduction.
The climate ministry said on Thursday: “We are monitoring the situation and are in close contact with OMV. (…) At the moment there are no signs of a delivery stop, but we are prepared for all scenarios.”
The Russian oil company Gazprom had already reduced gas deliveries through Nord Stream for two days this week, citing delays in the repair of gas compressors as the reason. The German Economics Minister Robert Habeck, on the other hand, sees a political motivation.
Climate protection ministry remains vague on response to gas emergency
Climate protection minister Leonore Gewessler (Greens) had recently remained vague as to what a gas emergency plan could look like. She described the procedure in the event of a gas emergency as follows: First, the situation is evaluated based on five criteria. Then it is decided what reaction is needed – and if energy control becomes necessary, it is decided how strongly one has to intervene. There are five criteria for this, but the basic rule is: “bread before steel.” It is also “logical” that one intervenes with the bulk consumers in the industry.
Energy expert Rose expects energy prices to continue to rise significantly
The energy expert Karl Rose also sees failings in the industry, which has obviously not taken any major initiatives. “You could have developed step catalogs on your own that show the consequences of a gas stop in 20 percent increments for the respective company. In order to accompany this with emergency plans, even if they say we will close on day 1. Then I at least have an estimate of the economic damage and the number of unemployed, etc.,” he said in the “Kleine Zeitung” (Friday edition).
He warns that Russia’s head of state, Vladimir Putin, could tighten the thumbscrews for Europe. “He’s got a lot of tools at his disposal,” he said. He considers a doubling of the already very high energy prices to be realistic in the short term.