Construction, Energy, EU – CIS, Forum, Gas, Russia

The parties reviewed current areas of cooperation. Among other things, the meeting participants discussed the ongoing exports of Russian gas to Austria, noting that gas exports to the country continue to grow in 2019 and the pace is accelerating. According to preliminary data, gas supplies went up by 20.5%  in January-April 2019 compared to the same period of 2018, while the May 1–20 period of this year showed a 44% increase.

Particular attention at the meeting was paid to the ongoing implementation of the Nord Stream 2 project. As of now, 1,290 kilometers of pipes – 52.6% of the gas pipeline's total length – have been laid in the Baltic Sea.

OMV AG is Gazprom's main partner in Austria. The companies cooperate in gas production, transportation and supplies.

In June 2018, an Agreement was signed to extend until 2040 the existing contract between Gazprom Export and OMV Gas Marketing & Trading GmbH for Russian gas supplies to Austria.

In October 2018, Gazprom and OMV signed the Memorandum on Strategic Cooperation.

In 2018, Gazprom delivered to Austria 12.3 bn cubic meters of gas, an increase of 34.8% (or 3.2 bn cubic meters) against 2017 (9.1 bn cubic meters).

Nord Stream 2 is the construction project for a gas pipeline with the annual capacity of 55 bn cubic meters from Russia to Germany across the Baltic Sea.