Austrian Economy Minister Margaret Schrabek has warned the European Union against imposing an embargo on Russian gas imports, citing its country’s “red line”, which is 80% dependent.
“We must not send any message in the direction of a gas embargo if we know we can not afford it – and neither we nor Germany can afford it. The gas embargo is a clear red line for Austria,” he said. Mrs. Schrabek in the Funke Group newspapers.
The Austrian Economy Minister also stressed that Germany could not count on gas deliveries from Austrian storage facilities, although Austria is “one of the few countries in Europe whose storage capacity exceeds the same needs”. In Heidach, near Salzburg, he explained, there is a gas storage facility exclusively for German needs. The facility is owned by Russia’s Gazprom, but is currently empty and “this is not going to change any time soon,” Ms Srabek said.
The question for Vienna, the minister continued, is “who will pay to fill the storage tanks, if the European Union decides so”, and stressed that “Austrian taxpayers’ money can be used to meet Austrian needs, but not to buy gas for Germany, France or the Netherlands. ” At present, she said, her government is focusing on “storage for domestic use”, with the aim of increasing the stock from the current 18% to 80%.
Austria, however, assured Margaret Srabek, is making an effort to get rid of Russian gas. “But with current dependence at 80%, this will not happen soon,” he acknowledged, calling for fracking to be promoted in Europe. “We must not close our minds and argue with the technological situation that existed 20 years ago. Technology has evolved,” he said, referring to methods of promoting shale gas in an environmentally friendly way, and calling for new partnerships in the medium term. , for example with Saudi Arabia for solar and hydraulic energy.
SOURCE: ΑΠΕ-ΜΠΕ
Source: Capital
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