Austria’s government wants to tap into a gas storage facility connected to the German grid this year. As the “Süddeutsche Zeitung” reports in its Monday edition, it is about the gas storage facility in Haidach near Salzburg, which has so far mainly supplied Bavaria’s households and industrial companies with gas. “We have decided that all gas storage facilities on Austrian territory must be connected to our network,” the newspaper quoted Austria’s climate protection and energy minister, Leonore Gewessler. “This decision is final,” she said.
Gewessler told SZ that she expects “a first connection” to the Austrian gas network “this year”. The gas storage facilities in Austria are currently 50 percent full.
Austria is highly dependent on Russian energy imports and is therefore, like Germany, under great pressure due to the lack of gas supplies. In view of the curtailed Russian gas supplies, Austria had already decided in June to reactivate a coal-fired power plant that had been shut down. Imports via terminals for landing liquid gas on the German coast are also being considered.
Last week, Austria’s Energy Minister said in an interview with the “Tagesspiegel” that the current gas crisis can only be overcome “if we show solidarity”. Austria is dependent on pipeline capacities “so that we can be supplied with gas via other countries”. Austria has large storage facilities for this, other countries have none at all, they are dependent on their country.
Bavaria’s Economics Minister Hubert Aiwanger meanwhile reacted calmly to Austria’s announcement. “It is important that the memory is finally filled quickly,” said the Free Voter boss to the “BR”
