Russia will stop its gas deliveries to Austria from Saturday, Austrian oil and gas group OMV said on Friday.
OMV said it had received notice from Gazprom Export, a subsidiary of Kremlin-controlled energy giant Gazprom.
The halt in deliveries is seen as a response by Russia to an arbitration ruling by the International Chamber of Commerce, which awarded OMV €230 million ($242 million) in a contractual dispute with Gazprom.
Earlier this week, OMV had asserted its right to claim the award. It noted this would likely result in a “negative impact” on relations.
With that prediction now coming true, Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer was set to make a statement on the situation later on Friday.
Austria remains heavily reliant on Russian gas even as other EU countries, like Germany, have worked to end their dependence following Moscow’s all-out invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
The share of Russian supplies has accounted for over 80% of Austria’s total gas imports recently.
However, OMV said earlier it has been preparing for this scenario for three years, and Austria’s position is significantly better now that it was on 2022, due to lower gas consumption and more sources of supply.
The alternative supplies are to come from Norway, from Austria’s own production, or in the form of liquefied natural gas by ship via Germany or Italy.
Furthermore, all storage facilities are currently around 90% full, providing enough gas for Austria’s needs for around a year.
Even without current developments, the energy co-operation between Austria and Russia, which dates to 1968, would probably have come to an end. The transit contract for the delivery of Russian natural gas via the pipeline through Ukraine and Slovakia ends at the end of the year, and is not expected to be extended.
