Russian gas stop: This is Austria’s emergency plan – Austria
Full gas storage tanks before next winter – that is Minister Gewessler’s goal.
©JOHN THYS / AFP
Russia Should Austria actually turn off the gas tap completely, the climate ministry has drawn up an emergency plan. This includes several scenarios for companies and households, others will in any case be spared from gas cuts.
Germany recently declared the alert level, the second of three levels of the gas emergency plan. Austria is still on the first, the early warning level, since the supply is stable and the gas storage tanks can be filled. However, as soon as not enough gas comes into the country to fill the storage facilities, or the current supply is in danger, the alarm level is declared, according to a background paper from the Ministry of Climate Protection.
Austria can currently intercept missing gas quantities
Although Austria, like Germany, is currently getting significantly less gas from Russia, it can almost completely absorb the missing quantities from other sources. Therefore, the goal of filling the gas storage tanks at least 80 percent by autumn still seems achievable. That would double the storage volume compared to the current level. “Our insurance is our large gas storage facilities. The central goal is therefore: Full storage before next winter,” said Climate Minister Leonore Gewessler (Greens).
Alert level depends on several factors
Gewessler’s ministry has calculated numerous scenarios for how long Austria could get by with gas if Russia turns off the gas tap. However, numerous variables influence the result: the amount of gas that still comes from Russia, the amount of gas that can be bought from elsewhere, the amount of gas that can be taken from storage facilities and on the other hand the willingness and possibility of Economy and households to save gas or switch to alternative energy sources. That WILL also depend on the price, which is likely to explode in such a case – and on an economic downturn. And a lot depends on the time of year, since gas consumption in winter is a good three times higher than in summer.
In the alarm stage, large gas consumers would have to report their planned gas requirements to E-Control on a daily basis. A dedicated system for gas distribution in case (FlexMOL) would be activated. Companies would demand, but not be obliged, to save gas or replace it with other energy sources.
Emergency level with complete gas stop from Russia
Should Russia stop supplying gas altogether, the emergency level, i.e. the highest of the three levels, would definitely be declared. And that would give the government, in coordination with the Main Committee of the National Council and the Energy Control Advisory Board, far-reaching powers with energy control measures, i.e. interventions in the gas market. The primary goal then remains the supply of gas to households and social services such as hospitals, old people’s homes and kindergartens.
In the emergency stage, large consumers are obliged to participate in the FlexMOL trading system. That means they would share how much gas they can go without and at what price. Because the Ministry of Climate will try to allow the allocation of gas according to market criteria for as long as possible.
In an emergency, companies and households have to save energy
In any case, natural gas must then be replaced by other energy sources where possible – pollutant limits that would prevent death are overridden. Companies and households are called upon to save energy. Since gas prices are likely to increase massively, a sharp drop in consumption is also expected. However, companies can also count on state aid.
Power plants and companies that supply households with waste heat are exempt from gas cuts. Companies that produce food and other systemically important goods also have priority when it comes to gas allocation. Companies that have been storing gas for their own account since April 27 can continue to access these quantities even if energy is steered. The only exception would be an imminent collapse of the gas network. So far, only voestalpine has publicly announced such a reserve formation.
The first restrictions affect 35 large domestic companies
In the first step, those 35 large consumers who are not system-critical and consume more than 50,000 kWh of gas per hour would be restricted in the first step – i.e. three times as much per hour as an average household in the whole year. These 35 companies account for half of the gas consumption in summer – even outside the heating period. E-Control is already in intensive contact with them, the ministry assures.
The Ministry of Climate assumes that with this measure – if the storage tanks are filled accordingly – a long-term supply bottleneck can be overcome. If not, those 7,500 companies that consume more than 400,000 kWh of gas per year would have to reckon with restrictions. Together they make up a quarter of summer gas consumption.
Emergency plan does not include gas cuts in households
Households are spared gas cuts in all scenarios. This is already provided for in EU law. However, households will be asked to save gas if there are interruptions in supply. The ministry’s scenarios show, however, that in most cases a restriction on bulk consumers is sufficient.
Gas trading system FlexMOL for the very largest consumers
In the event that there is not enough gas for the domestic economy, Austria’s gas network authority AGGM (Austrian Gas Grid Management AG) has prepared a trading system for excess gas. The largest gas consumers in Austria have to register to participate in the FlexMOL (flexible merit order list) platform and can use it to offer quantities of gas that they already have physically but don’t need.
The companies can determine the price, time and quantity of the gas delivery themselves. In a crisis, FlexMOL should enable a balance between those companies that can no longer or do not want to produce with the gas and those that absolutely still need gas, based on market economy criteria. This should reduce gas consumption and ensure that the companies with the greatest need get enough gas.
It is also intended to delay or completely prevent the authority from having to intervene in the gas market to regulate it. If it doesn’t work, the climate ministry would allocate gas to individual companies.