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Austria to be cut off from Russian gas from Saturday

Russia's Gazprom has actually told Austria that it is suspending gas shipments from Saturday, a gas flow monitoring platform reported on Friday, in a development that could signal the end of the last Russian gas products to Europe.

In a notice released on the central European gas center platform, Austrian oil and gas company OMV stated it had been notified by Gazprom that the Russian gas producer would reduce its shipments of natural gas to no from 0500 GMT on Nov. 16.

Russian gas supply to OMV by means of Ukraine was at threat of stopping before the end of the year due to an arbitration case versus Gazprom, the business currently warned on Thursday.

Austria is one of the couple of European nations still dependent on Russian gas as much of the remainder of the continent has decreased imports following Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

The volume is 7,400 megawatt hours per hour, which corresponds to roughly 5 terawatt hours per month.

Gazprom declined to comment.

A deal between Moscow and Kyiv on Russian gas exports through Ukraine to Europe expires at the end of the year in any case. The transit route products generally Austria and Slovakia for Russia via Ukraine.

Kyiv has actually stated repeatedly it will not extend the contract with Gazprom.

OMV said it has been getting ready for the eventual cut-off of Russian gas for a while and it can still deliver gas to its clients. It has actually protected transportation capability from Germany and Italy to Austria, in addition to long-term agreements with other suppliers for gas. It can also get liquefied gas from the Netherlands.

OMV has stated that it has actually sourced enough gas from in other places to cover its losses from Russia. But we still anticipate this will intensify an energy crisis in Austria that has actually caused its gas demand to drop substantially, and has actually hit its manufacturing sector, stated analysts at Eurointelligence.

Austria's economy is presently stuck in economic crisis. Germany is sneezing, and Austria is catching the cold. But it is likewise because higher energy costs have crimped companies' abilities to invest, they added.

EU energy commissioner Kadri Simson informed Reuters on the sidelines of a UN environment conference in Azerbaijan that all EU countries getting gas through the Ukraine path have access to other supply sources that could fill the space.

We have actually been extremely clear that alternative supply is offered and there is no need for the continuation of Russian gas transiting by means of Ukraine to Europe, Simson stated.

(source: Reuters)