The Russian state-owned company Gazprom further reduced the delivery quantities to OMV after the start of the Nord Stream 1 maintenance.
OMV received around 70 percent less than nominated today, Monday, said OMV spokesman Andreas Rinofner when asked by APA. Most recently, since mid-June, Gazprom had delivered about half of the quantity ordered.
According to the spokesman, whether the gas storage tanks can continue to be filled despite the delivery cuts also depends on the respective daily consumption and the additional purchases on the spot market. The quantities actually delivered and how much of it was stored are only known a day or two later.
After the OMV refinery accident, the government releases further oil reserves
After the OMV refinery accident in Schwechat, the government releases further oil reserves. On Monday evening the main committee is to decide to release a further 100,000 tons of diesel and 45,000 tons of semi-finished products. The SPÖ had previously warned in a hastily called press conference that diesel was running out, citing a letter from the OMV board of directors to Energy Minister Leonore Gewessler (Greens) dated June 23, 2022.
It speaks of “serious supply bottlenecks” if no further reserves are released. “Based on the current planning, which extends up to and including September 2022, we can supply contract customers and our own OMV filling stations to an ever decreasing extent,” the letter says. Specifically, OMV Gewessler requested the release of 100,000 tons of diesel and 90,000 tons of semi-finished products.
The letter has it “in itself,” said SPÖ energy spokesman Alois Schroll. The letter proves the opposite of what the government claims. According to Schroll, the government lied to parliament, the media and the 2.7 million diesel drivers in Austria. He wonders why the government is only now reacting to OMV’s demand.
The government denied last week that diesel could become scarce in Austria. There is “currently no shortage of supplies,” Gewessler said on Wednesday after the Council of Ministers. So far, OMV has compensated for the losses after the refinery accident, emphasized Chancellor Karl Nehammer (ÖVP).
The oil reserve, the so-called compulsory emergency reserve (PNR), covers the average Austrian oil consumption of 90 days. Not only crude oil, but also finished fuels such as petrol and diesel are part of this reserve. So far, 112,000 tons of diesel and 56,000 tons of petrol have been released after the refinery accident. This reduced the reserve stored in Austria by the consumption of six days.
With the further release, the supply is reduced to 77 days, said SPÖ business spokesman Christoph Matznetter. “If we continue like this, we will be in the situation in Sri Lanka in the fall,” the oil reserves there lasted for two days. The OMV share temporarily lost 1.16 percent to EUR 40.79 on the Wieder Stock Exchange today.
APA