Austria has more gas storage facilities than most EU countries and, with Haidach, also the second largest in Europe. So far, however, Gazprom has been in control of this.
For years, the Haidach gas storage facility in the border area between
between Salzburg and Upper Austria is only known to energy experts. But since Russia’s attack on Ukraine, the memory suddenly became part of the political discussion. Because two-thirds of Haidach belongs to the Russian gas monopoly Gazprom. And while other storage facilities have been feverishly filled with gas for months, Gazprom is leaving its part of Haidach untouched.
The government even created its own law to take control of Gazprom with a “use it or lose it” rule. The process was completed this week. From tomorrow, Monday, gas is to be stored again on a large scale in Europe’s second largest storage facility. RAG, which has already been the technical operator of the storage facility, is responsible for this. And it is she who found the storage facility 25 years ago and since then has developed it together with Wingas, which now belongs to Gazprom, and Gazprom itself.