Despite the huge dependence on Russia, the gas ghost in this country seems to have disappeared, at least for this winter. Despite the energy crisis, the storage level in April should also be above that of the previous year – so there is no longer any danger of gas shortages for the current winter, Austria Gas Grid Management (AGGM) calculated on Thursday.
The storage facilities are currently 87 percent full, equivalent to 83 terawatt hours (TWh) of gas. A high level of storage after the winter is still “fundamental” for security of supply, the company said. Replacing Russian gas is a “tremendous challenge”, especially when storage levels are low.
It still needs more sources of supply
From the current perspective, the experts expect that the storage tanks will still be between 40 and 60 percent full after the winter in April. After last winter, that was only around 20 percent.
AGGM board members Bernhard Painz and Michael Woltran emphasized that in order to diversify the supply as politically envisaged, diversify the gas infrastructure as well. The aim is to bring more gas, ideally green gas – and in the future also hydrogen – from Germany and Italy to Austria.
The current transport capacity is not suitable for the future
But: “With the currently available transport capacities from Germany and Italy, a sufficient diversification of the gas supply sources is not possible and the storage target of 90 percent cannot be achieved,” according to a scenario calculation for the desired replenishment from April to November. 2023 the AGGM if no gas comes to Baumgarten and exports to neighboring countries continue as in 2022.
It is not only necessary to quickly implement additional import options. It also involves the integration of renewable gases (biomethane and hydrogen) into the energy system. Both can be transported in the gas network. However, in the case of the WAG line, gaps also need to be closed for the two-line extension in Upper Austria and Lower Austria.
Dependence on Russia is still high
The share of Russian gas in Austria was still around 70 percent in 2022. In February and March, even more volumes from Russia arrived at the gas roundabout in Baumgarten than in 2021. However, supplies of Russian gas then collapsed as a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the associated Western sanctions.
Roughly half of the volume went to Austria from April to August, just like last year, and since September about a third of the monthly volume. December example: 32.9 TWh arrived in 2021, then only 12.3 TWh in 2022.
Source: Krone
I’m Ben Stock, a journalist and author at Today Times Live. I specialize in economic news and have been working in the news industry for over five years. My experience spans from local journalism to international business reporting. In my career I’ve had the opportunity to interview some of the world’s leading economists and financial experts, giving me an insight into global trends that is unique among journalists.
