VIENNA, February 13. /TASS/. The share of Russian gas in Austrian imports in December last year amounted to 98% due to a decrease in the volume of purchases from other sources, former top manager of the Austrian oil and gas company OMV Otto Musilek told TASS.

"We must fulfill the contract with Russia and, since the storage facilities are full, there is no need to import more gas from other, more expensive sources," the expert explained.

Earlier, the Austrian Ministry of Energy reported that the share of Russian natural gas in Austria's energy balance reached 98% in December 2023, which a record high volume since the start of the special military operation in Ukraine. In February 2022 it was 79%.

In June 2018, an agreement was signed to extend the existing contract between Gazprom Export LLC and OMV Gas Marketing&Trading GmbH for the supply of Russian natural gas to Austria until 2040. Previously, the contract was valid until 2028. The contract is based on the take-or-pay principle, meaning OMV is obliged to transfer money even if it does not actually take the gas.