Austria has been preparing to stop Russian gas supplies since the beginning of the military operation in Ukraine, Chancellor Karl Nehammer said after Gazprom notified Austrian OMV of the termination of supplies.
"What has happened is what we have been preparing for since the beginning of the war in Ukraine… I can promise: no one will freeze in winter, no apartment will be cold," Oe24 quotes Nehammer.
He added that Austria would not allow anyone to "blackmail" itself, including Russia.
The Chancellor said that the country's gas storage facilities are filled by 93%, which corresponds to annual consumption.
On November 13, OMV announced that it had won arbitration proceedings against Gazprom Export due to the temporary suspension of Russian gas supplies in the fall of 2022 and decided to recover € 230 million plus interest and court costs from the losing side.
After that, OMV received a notification from Gazprom Export about the complete cessation of gas supplies from 06.00 Central European time (08.00 Moscow time) on November 16.
The contract between OMV and Gazprom for gas supplies to Austria runs until 2040. According to Kleine Zeitung, 98% of gas imports in Austria in December 2023 accounted for Russian supplies, in January 2024 the figure dropped to 97%, and in February to 87%, RBC reminds.