As the “Krone” reported, Austria bought 90 percent of its imported natural gas from Vladimir Putin’s empire for the first time in October. A record value since E-Control started collecting the data. The Ministry of Climate Protection justifies this development with lower consumption.
“In addition to the Russian shares from the OMV contract, there is currently little need for imports, as electricity generation from gas in the fall was low due to a high share of renewable energy sources and there were huge savings in consumption compared to recent years.” , it would be the same in October 2023. If gas had been imported as a year earlier, “the same amount of imports from Russia would have meant a share of less than 50 percent,” the Ministry of Climate Protection argues.
“These figures should be a wake-up call”
A number of measures have been taken since the start of the war in Ukraine. The fact that the share of Russian gas fell to an average of 50 percent between the summer of 2022 and 2023 proves the effect. However, it is also clear: “Our dependence on Russian natural gas remains too great. “This should be a wake-up call for everyone who still doesn’t want to do more,” said Minister Leonore Gewessler (Greens) in response to a “Krone” request.
The figures from NEOS economist Lukas Sustala are remarkable: 240 million euros go to Russia every month, and almost three billion euros since the beginning of this year. Agenda Austria also confirms these data. Economist Jan Kluge: “The quantities are smaller. But it is far from the case that we are not dependent. We still import as much as in 2007/08. The highlight was 2020.”
30 percent less gas from Russia
It’s also a matter of price; people pay more today than before the war. Compared to the last somewhat ‘normal’ year of 2019 – so before the corona pandemic – ‘today we receive 30 percent less gas from Russia, but we pay more than twice as much.’
The oft-cited alternatives – such as expanding pipelines through other areas – are more relevant than ever.
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.
