Austria warns of 'massive risk' of Russian gas supply disruption
Illustrative photo: Austria is concerned about a possible disruption in gas supplies from Russia (Getty Images)
Austria is confident that there is a huge risk of a disruption in gas supplies from Russia, which poses significant consequences for the country, stated the Austrian Ministry of Energy, according to Bloomberg.
“As long as there is a dependency on Russian gas supplies, there is a massive risk of a corresponding supply failure with far-reaching consequences,” the Ministry stated.
Austria has clarified that it needs to reduce its dependence on Russian gas supplies as soon as possible.
According to Bloomberg, an Austrian government report indicates that the country can meet its gas import needs through pipeline capacities from Italy and Germany.
Additionally, the Austrian authorities have committed to stop importing Russian gas by the end of 2027 as part of the country's energy system transformation. A corresponding roadmap may be presented before the elections on September 29.
Background
Recently, Ukrainian defenders began their operation in the Kursk region, including taking control of the Sudzha gas measurement station near the border.
Following this, Russia started spreading false claims that Ukraine allegedly intended to halt the transit of Russian gas.
As noted by Volodymyr Omelchenko, Director of Energy Programs at the Razumkov Center, in a comment to RBC-Ukraine, Ukraine could have shut off the valve on its gas transportation system earlier if it wanted to do so.
However, he added that it cannot be ruled out that Russia might cut off the gas transit.
