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Political mistake: Russia keeps Austria on the “gas line”

Political mistake: Russia keeps Austria on the “gas line”
(symbol photo)
Image: APA/Barbara Gindl

“You should only dance at a wedding. That’s why we are committed to Gazprom and our cooperation and don’t look aside.” Herbert Lechner put this quote from the former OMV boss Rainer Seele at the beginning of his presentation on Tuesday. Because the quote clearly describes what the former managing director of the energy agency analyses: Austria has maneuvered itself into a massive dependence on Russia when it comes to gas supplies.

“An der Gasleine” is the name of the study for which Lechner combed through state documents of Russia and Austria and the archive of the state holding company. While the share of Russian imports averaged 45 percent of gas consumption from 1968 to 1978, it then rose to 80 percent in some cases and only dropped slightly with the first gas deliveries from Norway in 1993. From 2010 to 2020, the Russian share was still around 60 percent on average.

“All Cards on the Table”

Lechner described the fact that the proportion rose again to 71 percent in December 2022 (in the course of the previous year it had sometimes been 20 or 40 percent) as “worrying”. He assumes that the federal government will continue to pursue its goal of phasing out Russian gas by 2027, even if the EU is already significantly further (13 percent share of Russian gas in November) and Chancellor Karl Nehammer (VP) recently spoke of the OMV should not breach its contract with Gazprom.

The gas supply contract was extended again in 2018 to 2040 by the Russia-loving soul. Lechner assumes that an arbitration board is defined in the secret contract. And he pointed out that Germany’s RWE and Uniper are demanding compensation from Gazprom for gas that was not delivered. “All cards must be on the table,” Lechner demanded of the Austrian government. A clear “roadmap” is needed to phase out Russian gas – with energy efficiency measures, an increase in renewable energy production and a diversification of importing countries.

According to Lechner, the politicians in charge gave up an active role in energy policy as early as the 1960s and handed over all tasks related to gas imports to companies, primarily OMV, as a private-sector matter. The risk was recognized early on. In 1971 Siegmund Burger, member of the VP National Council, warned that the energy supply was only based on the premise of peace.

The Foreign Ministry recognized in 2007 that “Russia uses its energy policy as a powerful tool of foreign policy”. The EU Commission was most explicit in 2008 when it named Russia “gas as a political weapon”. But all warnings were “disregarded,” said Lechner.

Russia was very interested in forcing Austria into economic dependence. It was the first country in Western Europe to sign a supply agreement with the Soviet Union in 1968. There were good contacts through the ÖMV as the successor to the Soviet Mineral Oil Administration (SMV).

You can download the study here:

You can also find information on the website of the Austrian energy agency energyagency.at

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