Russia's Gazprom stops flow of natural gas to Austria, utility says

VIENNA — 

Russia’s state-owned earthy state institution Gazprom stopped supplies to Austria aboriginal Saturday, according to the Vienna-based inferior OMV, aft OMV said it would halt payments for the state pursuing an arbitration award.

The authoritative cutoff of supplies earlier dawn Saturday came aft Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer connected Friday held a hastily called quality league to stress that his state has a unafraid proviso of alternate substance for this winter.

OMV said it would halt paying for Gazprom state to its Austrian limb to offset a $242 cardinal arbitration grant it won from the International Chamber of Commerce implicit an earlier cutoff of state to its German subsidiary.

The Austrian inferior said successful an email that nary state transportation was made from 6 a.m. connected Saturday.

OMV said Wednesday it has capable stocks to supply state to its customers successful lawsuit of a imaginable disruption by Gazprom and said retention successful Austria was much than 90% full.

“Once again Putin is utilizing vigor arsenic a weapon,” EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen wrote successful a station connected societal media level X. “He is trying to blackmail Austria & Europe by cutting state supplies. We are prepared for this and acceptable for the winter.”

Russia chopped disconnected astir earthy state supplies to Europe successful 2022, citing disputes implicit outgo successful rubles, a determination European leaders described arsenic vigor blackmail implicit their enactment for Ukraine against Russia’s invasion.

European governments had to scramble to enactment up alternate supplies astatine higher prices, overmuch of it liquefied earthy state brought by vessel from the United States and Qatar.

Austria gets the bulk of its earthy state from Russia, arsenic overmuch arsenic 98% successful December past year, according to Energy Minister Lenore Gewessler.