Austria's Gas Storage Only Half Full
Austria has so far mainly covered its gas consumption this year from the gas storage facilities. According to figures from E-Control, 45 percent of the natural gas consumption came from the storage facilities, 24 percent was covered by liquefied natural gas brought to Europe by ship, and another 16 percent flowed from Norway via Germany to Austria. The rest came from the Caspian region, North Africa, and Great Britain.
Austria Tapped Gas Storage After Ukraine Transit Halt
The gas storage level has already dropped by more than 20 percentage points to below 55 percent in the two winter months of January and February. At the turn of the year, the transit contract between Russia and Ukraine expired, since then no Russian pipeline gas has been coming to Austria, which, in combination with cold weather and higher prices, contributed to the storage facilities emptying faster.
Gas Supply in Austria Secured
Experts from E-Control and the Energy Agency repeatedly emphasized that Austria's gas supply is secured even without gas from Russia and that the current capacities are sufficient for two very cold winters. However, the time pressure to refill the storage facilities in the summer increases the further the storage levels drop by the end of the heating season. The board of Austrian Gas Grid Management (AGGM), Bernhard Painz, said in mid-December that it would be good "if the storage level after the winter is not below 60 percent." Due to the war in Ukraine, the EU had enacted a law requiring the reservoirs to be filled to 90 percent by November 1st.
(APA/Red)
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