OMV gives gas

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The so-called Gas Independence Commission was set up on Tuesday, and OMV granted it access to the controversial supply contract with Russia's Gazprom on Wednesday. OMV said that it had "fully complied" with the request for disclosure. 

OMV "has consistently diversified its gas portfolio since 2022 and can fulfill its supply obligations in any scenario", the company continued. "All contract customers can be fully supplied with non-Russian gas." At the same time, it was emphasized that OMV's "business decisions" remain "unaffected" by the Commission.

Energy Minister Leonore Gewessler (Greens) had set up the commission to examine, among other things, a way out of the contract with Gazprom. It is chaired by the former President of the Supreme Court, Irmgard Griss, and university professor Andreas Kletečka.

The contract between OMV and Gazprom was extended by twelve years from 2028 to 2040 in 2018 in the presence of the then Chancellor Sebastian Kurz (ÖVP) and Russian President Vladimir Putin. The exact content of the contract was previously only known to the partly state-owned OMV, but not to the government or the regulatory authority E-Control.

Clarification or election campaign maneuver?
Just like the Gazprom contract, the establishment of the commission is not without controversy. Coalition partner ÖVP and parts of the opposition see the Green Minister's move as an election campaign tactic. The first results should be available in the fall and a final report should be ready by the end of the year.