According to Energy Minister Leonore Gewessler (Greens), if Russian gas supplies via the Nord Stream 1 pipeline fail even after maintenance, it will have to be evaluated whether the gas storage tanks can be 80 percent full by the beginning of the year. the heating season. That is the criterion for the next step in the gas emergency plan, Gewessler said on Wednesday. If this goal is jeopardized, “the next steps are also up for us, including the alarm level”.
Russian President Vladimir Putin is “not a reliable counterpart,” Gewessler said at the presentation of a hydrogen project by Burgenland Energie und Verbund. The coming days will show whether Russian gas deliveries will resume after maintenance to Nord Stream 1 and to what extent. “Nord Stream 1 is not the central supply route for us, but it is for Germany,” said the minister. “If Nord Stream 1 stops delivering, it will be an extremely tense situation for all of Europe.”
Extraordinary Council of Energy Ministers
That is why there is an extraordinary council of energy ministers in Brussels next Tuesday to assess the situation and discuss the European Commission’s new proposal for the winter plan.
filling level of more than 50 percent
Austria’s gas storage facilities are now more than 50 percent full and gas is being stored despite the total failure of Nord Stream 1. The supply corresponds to about half of Austria’s annual consumption. “We have access to all volumes in an emergency,” Gewessler said. This could be done in the context of energy control through regulation with a two-thirds majority in the main committee of the National Council.
However, in the spirit of European solidarity, she would “not propose this as a first step”, but “we will have to ensure that we fulfill our European obligations”. Austrian companies have also stored gas in Slovakia, Hungary and Germany.
Source: Krone
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