Austria plans to build further gas storage capacity to cushion it against potential future gas disputes between Ukraine and Russia, Austrian financial daily Wirtschaftsblatt reports Wednesday, citing the country's minister of economy, Reinhold Mitterlehner.
With 2.1 billion cubic meters of gas stored at the beginning of the dispute, or around one fourth of the country's annual consumption, Austria made it through the halt in Russia supplies without experiencing shortages.
Russian gas via Ukraine, which makes up 51% of Austria's annual consumption, started flowing into the country again Tuesday at 1800 GMT at the rate of 5.3 million cubic meters per hour, Austria's largest oil and gas company OMV AG (OMV.VI) said late Tuesday.
Further storage capacity will be built in the coming years; projects are already being planned, Mitterlehner told Wirtschaftblatt.