While Austria and other EU countries try to break with long-standing dependence on Russian gas, Hungary is taking a different path: Viktor Orban’s government wants to buy even more natural gas from Russia. Criticism of this comes from Energy Minister Leonore Gewessler (Greens): “If the problem is the high dependency, I doubt it can be solved with even more dependence,” she said.
This will cause some unrest before Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s state visit next week. Orban meets with Chancellor Karl Nehammer (ÖVP) in Vienna, the energy supply of the two countries in winter will be a central topic. During a visit to Moscow, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto announced that he plans to buy another 700 million cubic meters of natural gas from Russia. It is about Hungary’s energy security, Szijjarto justified the request.
Our eastern neighbor is even more dependent on the Russian gas supply than Austria. They are now flowing again in greater quantities through the Nord Stream 1 Baltic Sea pipeline, but the situation is still “very tense,” Gewessler stressed. Although more natural gas can now be stored again, that doesn’t mean we can weigh ourselves with a false sense of security, she said Friday after a gas infrastructure summit with companies and social partners.
“Gas as a Weapon”
Russian ruler Vladimir Putin “uses gas as a weapon”, so one must “become independent, there is still a long way to go”, according to the energy minister. A first step in this direction is the regulation for the technical conversion of power stations, which Gewessler will send for assessment on Friday. Where technically possible, power stations and large consumers must convert their installations so that they can also work with other energy sources. The ordinance also regulates the restart of the coal-fired power plant in Mellach, which is planned in an emergency.
Long-term measures were also discussed at the summit, such as how to convert the gas network to allow gas to flow to Austria not only from the east, but also from Germany or Italy. Economy Minister Martin Kocher (ÖVP), who also attended the summit, recalled that Austria has been benefiting “for a very long time” from the supply of cheap gas from Russia. In the future, much more non-Russian gas will be supplied, for example via natural gas fields of the Austrian group OMV in the North Sea or liquefied gas, which arrives at terminals in Rotterdam in which OMV has an interest.
Storage of “central security buffer”
In the short term, storage is in any case “the central safety buffer”, confirmed Minister Gewessler. The storage is currently 50 percent full. The turquoise-green government is aiming for a level of 80 percent by the fall – according to E-Control, this target can still be achieved. Therefore, according to the Ministry of Energy, there is currently no reason to declare the gas alarm level in Austria.
To make matters worse, the large Gazprom storage facility GSA in Haidach (Salzburg) is currently completely empty and will not be replenished. A process is currently underway to make the “use-it-or-lose-it” rule effective, as Gewessler explained. Since the Russian state company does not use it, it has to be given to another company.
OMV’s gas storage in Austria, on the other hand, is already 79 percent full and that should be 80 percent in the coming days. RAG’s storage space is 72 percent full. In total, the gas storage level in Germany is currently 48 terawatt hours. This corresponds to more than half of Austria’s total annual consumption.
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.
