OMV no longer receives gas from Gazprom
OMV was one of the few remaining buyers of Russian gas in Europe after Gazprom lost almost all its customers there as a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Before the outbreak of the war, Russia was the largest supplier of natural gas in Europe, the agency recalled.
On November 13, OMV announced that it had won an arbitration case in Germany against Gazprom for the amount of EUR 230 million in connection with irregular deliveries to its German unit and announced that it would take steps to immediately collect the amounts due from Gazprom’s invoices.
Three days later, Gazprom stopped gas deliveries to the Austrian company.
Earlier, OMV confiscated gas supplies
According to three Reuters sources close to Gazprom and OMV, the Austrian company confiscated gas supplies worth EUR 230 million for October. This was the first time a customer from the European Union did not pay for Gazprom’s gas – said one of the sources.
The Russian energy giant stopped deliveries to Austria after OMV took over the raw material, an interlocutor close to Gazprom told the agency.
Gazprom violated contracts
The suspension of deliveries last week gives OMV an opportunity to argue that Gazprom violated contracts said one of the five sources.
The sudden end of the relationship between Gazprom and OMV surprised many gas market players and is a blow to Gazprom’s long-standing economic and political influence in Central Europe, commented Reuters.
In addition to action on irregular deliveries in Germany, OMV initiated several other arbitration cases against Gazprom. (PAP)
