OREANDA-NEWS Austria will not be able to do without Russian gas, and in the long term, too, says Otto Musilek, ex-manager of the Austrian oil and gas concern OMV, who has worked in the gas sector of this company for more than 30 years.

"Austria will not be able to do without Russian gas, even in the long term," Musilek said in an interview with the Upper Austria Business Initiative (German: Initiative Wirtschaftsstandort Oberösterreich, IWS). The ex-manager also noted that unilateral termination of contracts by Austria would be immediately challenged by Gazprom in international courts.

"Such proceedings may take a very long time before the final clarification of the legal situation. And without judicial clarification, Austria will have to continue paying Russia. We are talking about more than 30 billion euros. I would not advise the Austrian Federal government to take such a risk," the speaker said.

When asked whether OMV and he, as the company's chief gas negotiator, have made serious efforts to find alternative and reliable gas suppliers in recent decades, Musilek noted that indeed he and other company representatives have tried to find alternatives to Russian gas. "But for supply contracts, we need partners who not only can, but also want to supply gas," he explained.

According to him, "based on his ten years of experience in the international energy and gas markets," he does not see "viable alternatives to Russian gas

"Unilateral refusal of supplies will cost tens of billions of euros and will further disrupt the energy supply of the population and enterprises," Musilek explained.