Despite E-Control’s success report, according to which the Austrian gas storage facilities had already achieved the desired target of 80 percent filling degree a month earlier, it is not yet entirely clear. Because it is not yet possible to say with certainty how much stored gas will also be available for use in Austria. According to Markus Mitteregger, head of the largest Austrian energy storage company RAG, “about half”. Whether that will be enough is not yet clear.
“Because we don’t know whether we are continuously getting new gas in addition to the stored gas, as in normal years. Because that was Russian gas, and now only a third of it flows,” said the energy expert in an interview with the “Oberösterreichische Nachrichten”. According to Mitteregger, energy efficiency and the course of the winter play a decisive role.
Power input not secured
“Yes, it’s going to be tight, but it’s possible.” Electricity is “a huge problem”. As of November, Austria usually generates a third of its electricity from its own production, mainly from hydropower, a third from gas and imports a third. In the coming winter, however, Austria may have to generate up to two-thirds of its electricity from gas because electricity imports are not guaranteed. “I have my doubts about whether these amounts of gas are being stored,” explains Mitteregger.
Carola Millgramm, head of the gas department E-Control pointed out on Tuesday that Austria had also stored gas in Slovakia, for example. Millgramm recalled that Austria is currently in the first of four phases of energy control. However, preparations for a gas shortage emergency were already in full swing. In the final stage, the Ministry of Climate Protection can allocate gas, ie cut off the gas to individual customers.
Expert knows ‘no one who doesn’t think about saving’
It is clearly regulated that both households and social services such as hospitals must primarily be supplied with gas. Gas-fired power stations that generate district heating and electricity also receive preferential treatment. But above all, certain major customers in the industry have to consider gas shutdowns in this case – but that has to be done in an orderly manner. Market mechanisms should continue to operate for as long as possible.
Even as households are protected, Millgramm is calling for energy savings wherever possible. Because the less gas households consume, the longer the economy can sustain production. She does not consider a legal obligation to save energy necessary, if only for cost reasons, the motivation is high. “I don’t know anyone who doesn’t think about how to save gas,” says Millgramm.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
