Austrian Gas Storage Facilities Over 70 Percent Full
Austria's gas storage facilities are already more than 70 percent full. The contingency plans to secure gas supplies that were put into action as a result of the war in Ukraine and the ongoing energy crisis go according to plan as announced by Austria's government.
Chancellor Karl Nehammer emphasized, "Filled storage facilities are one of the pillars of our plan for greater energy independence." / Picture: © Bundeskanzleramt (BKA) / Florian Schrötter
Currently, the "domestic gas storage facilities as of September 10, 2022" are 70.69 percent full and a total of 67.5 terawatt hours (TWh) of natural gas is stored in Austrian storage facilities, he said. This corresponds to more than two-thirds of the annual gas consumption in Austria, according to Austria's Chancellor Nehammer.
Federal Chancellor Karl Nehammer commented on the situation of Austria's gas storage facilities: "The current figures show that we are getting a little closer every day to our goal of having 80 percent of the gas storage facilities filled by November." Above all, full storage facilities would also mean full security of supply for domestic households and businesses in the coming winter. The chancellor also said that the company would continue to push ahead with the expansion of renewable energy and would enter into new partnerships for the purchase of gas in the medium term.
The gas storage facilities are to be 80 percent full by November 1. The Republic of Austria itself only has a strategic gas reserve of 20 TWh, which is to be stored by November 1.
The majority of the gas reserve belongs to the companies storing the gas. According to the information, all Austrian storage facilities have a storage level above 60 percent, and the OMV storage facility is already 92.7 percent full.
In an emergency, however, Energy Minister Leonore Gewessler could have the entire stored gas volume at her disposal based on the Energy Steering Act, she told ORF.
According to the Federal Chancellery, the gas supply in Austria remains unrestricted. The missing volumes from Russia are being replaced by purchases and the supply volumes via Ukraine remain stable. Electricity supply in Austria is mainly provided by renewable energies.