Hanke on gas delivery stop: “Supply for Wien Energie customers secured” | City of Vienna

The supply of heat, electricity and gas to Wien Energie’s customers is secured. This also applies in the event of a Russian delivery stop that became known on Friday evening. Wien Energie is the largest regional energy supplier in Austria, produces electricity and district heating and supplies hundreds of thousands of customers in the greater Vienna area.

“We have known for over two years how fragile the energy markets and the supply of Russian gas are. I have therefore given Wien Energie the task of phasing out Russian gas as quickly as possible and switching to other sources. Now it turns out that we were spot on with this foresight. Because as it became known this evening, the event of a gas supply stop is actually occurring. But the good news is: supplies for Viennese people are secured. Nevertheless, it is important to be vigilant and closely monitor further developments”, said Peter Hanke, City Councilor for Economic Affairs and Vienna Public Utilities. Nevertheless, it is of course important to monitor the situation closely over the next few weeks.

Gas diversification brings more independence

Wien Energie is not an importer and has not had any supply contracts with Russia in the past. The company usually sources the required quantities of gas on the Austrian market and trades the corresponding quantities of gas in Austria, Germany and Holland, but not according to specific origin. Unlike electricity, there is currently no uniform labeling system for natural gas at either the Austrian or European level that makes the origin of natural gas transparent.

Since the beginning of the Russian war of aggression, Wien Energie has made extensive efforts to diversify its gas supply. In 2022, Wien Energie purchased large quantities of natural gas from North Africa. For last winter, 30 percent of the district heating requirements were purchased from Norway. In order to completely phase out Russian natural gas, Wien Energie concluded direct supply contracts with several European trading partners this September with a volume of 10 terawatt hours of natural gas.