Ahead of elections, Austria remains divided over dependence on Russian gas

When Austria holds its next general election on September 29, the ruling Conservative Party (ÖVP) and the Greens will continue to cooperate on energy issues, aiming to end the Central European country's dependence on Russian gas that the opposition Freedom Party (FPÖ) has been actively defending.

Pressure to end Austria’s energy dependence on Russia is coming not only from within Austria but also from European Union (EU) leaders in Brussels. The recent update to the national security strategy confirmed an EU-wide commitment to completely phase out Russian gas by mid-2027.

Pre-election polls indicate that no party is expected to win enough seats to gain an absolute majority in the new Austrian parliament, while the opposition FPÖ has a slight advantage over its rivals.

Specifically, polls show voter support for the FPÖ at around 27-29%, just one point ahead of the ÖVP.

Three other parties are also expected to win around 10% of the vote. They have refused to form a coalition with FPÖ leader Herbert Kickl, which could pave the way for a governing coalition more determined to distance Austria from its energy ties with Russia.

Accordingly, the current feasible scenario is that the post-election ruling coalition will include the ÖVP Party of current Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer.

Austria, Hungary and Slovakia are particularly dependent on Russian gas supplies that transit Ukraine to Europe. But the future of this gas flow is uncertain after the Russia-Ukraine agreement expires at the end of 2024. Photo: Economist

In July, the Central European country still imported 83% of its gas from Russia, while the EU as a whole imported only 15% of this fuel from Russia.

Austria is one of the EU countries most heavily dependent on Russian gas. Inflation has also exceeded the EU average over the past two years, despite the economy being in recession.

This bleak economic picture is largely due to the economic downturn in its main trading partner, Germany – Europe’s number one industrial powerhouse, which is also struggling with both the energy transition and competition from China.

Now, Austrian Energy and Climate Minister Leonore Gewessler has outlined a plan for the central European country to achieve long-term energy independence, by importing gas via pipeline from Germany and Italy.

“High dependence on Russian gas supplies is a major economic and security risk for Austria,” the Austrian energy ministry said in a statement. “It is therefore essential for the security of our country to continue reducing our gas consumption and stop buying Russian gas.”

Wien Energie, Vienna's largest natural gas buyer and distributor, said on September 13 that it plans to phase out Russian gas by 2025.

The Vienna utility previously made headlines across the EU for announcing pioneering efforts to promote geothermal energy in major cities, as well as during the 2022 energy crisis, when it nearly went bankrupt due to a lack of protection against price spikes.

However, the risk of energy shortages in Austria has increased since Ukraine said it would not renew its transit agreement with Gazprom, which expires at the end of 2024. Under the agreement, Ukraine has been shipping Russian gas to Austria.

According to official data, Austria's energy mix is ​​dominated by hydropower (59.41%), followed by wind power (12.06%), gas (10.64%), photovoltaics (7.73%), bioenergy (5.35%), other fossil fuels (4.73%) and coal (0.09%).

Minh Duc (According to Brussels Signal, Euractiv)

Source: https://www.nguoiduatin.vn/truoc-them-bau-cu-ao-van-chia-re-vi-su-phu-thuoc-vao-khi-dot-nga-204240924155533754.htm