
Russian gas could still be making its way to Austria, even though Moscow’s energy giant, Gazprom, stopped its direct deliveries on Saturday.
Analysts say Austria’s energy provider OMV is likely buying gas on the open market to make up for the loss, with some of it possibly still coming indirectly from Gazprom.
The supply cut is tied to a legal dispute in which OMV was awarded €230 million in damages by an arbitration tribunal. In response, OMV announced it would offset this compensation against its Gazprom deliveries. Gazprom responded by halting supplies and selling the gas elsewhere.
Supplies Decrease at Key Austrian Gas Hub
Gas flows to Baumgarten, a vital distribution hub close to Austria’s border with Slovakia, have fallen by 10–20% since the supply suspension began. Nonetheless, Gazprom continues to export around 42.4 million cubic metres of gas to Europe each day.
Before the halt, OMV had been receiving 17 million cubic metres per day from Gazprom. Those volumes are now being diverted to other European customers.
OMV Looks to the Market
Johannes Mayer, an economist at Austria’s energy regulator E-Control, told the APA news agency that OMV is likely buying gas on the exchange to honour its supply commitments. Christoph Dolna-Gruber, a strategist at Austria’s Energy Agency, added that some of this gas may still be linked to Gazprom, as tracking the exact source of exchange-traded gas is difficult.
OMV has confirmed the end of Gazprom deliveries but declined to comment on its purchasing strategy.
Russian Gas Keeps Flowing to Other Nations
While supplies to OMV have stopped, Russian gas continues to flow to Slovakia, Hungary and the Czech Republic. The Czech Republic, which lacks a direct contract with Gazprom, has increased imports from Slovakia, now accounting for 74% of its total gas volumes. Smaller deliveries are also heading to Italy and Serbia.