Russian gas continues to flow to Austria

Russian gas continues to flow to Austria, despite statements in the European country that Gazprom has warned about the cessation of supplies from November 16.

According to the Slovak operator EuStream, Russian gas continues to flow to Austria on November 16. So, at 10.20 minutes local time, four hours and twenty minutes after the start of the new gas day, 6.8 million cubic meters were received from Ukraine at the Velke Kapushany point, and 3.8 million cubic meters were transferred to the Austrian Baumgarten. At the same time in Slovakia was also supplied and from Hungary, but they amounted to 1.4 million cubic meters.

The Slovak operator indicates that on November 16 deliveries from Ukraine will remain at the usual level and are planned at 41 million cubic meters. At the same time, Austria plans to supply 23.1 million cubic meters per gas day. The GTS Operator of Ukraine confirms that the nomination of transit through Ukraine has not changed.

A few days earlier, OMV reported that they had won arbitration from Gazprom under a German contract and compensation of 230 million euros. The company stated that it would select them from payments that it is obliged to make to Gazprom for current deliveries under the Austrian contract, and does not rule out stopping deliveries.

Yesterday, OMV published an urgent message that they had received a warning from Gazprom Export, according to which the Austrian company would stop receiving Russian gas from 6.00 on November 16. Then a new gas day begins. Later, Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer also announced such plans, who assured that the country has enough fuel reserves.

Experts noted that Gazprom is obliged to stop deliveries in the absence of payments under the presidential decree on the procedure for settlements with unfriendly countries.

ICIS analyst Tom Marzek-Manser writes in X that Russian gas can still be sold on the spot market of the Austrian hub.

Gazprom itself cannot sell, but partners can do it — Slovak SPP, Hungarian MVM or even Azerbaijani Socar," the analyst writes. He notes that the buyer at the hub does not know whose gas he receives.

In April, Gazprom filed a lawsuit against OMV Gas Marketing & Trading with the Arbitration Court of St. Petersburg and the Leningrad Region, which banned the Austrian company from international arbitration proceedings. Gazprom Export did not recognize the violation of contracts and the legality of the stated claims for damages. Obviously, we are talking about gas supplies for Germany via Nord Stream. In the summer, due to sanctions restrictions on the repair of turbines of the compressor station, gas pipeline supplies decreased, stopped at the end of August, and on September 26 saboteurs blew up the main line in the Baltic Sea.