Austria 'should make use of own gas reserves'

Austria's current dependency on energy imports from Russia means that the country should look into making use of its shale gas reserves, according to a new report. The International Energy Agency (IEA) released a report on Wednesday (April 9th) that suggested Austria could benefit from making the most of its domestic natural gas resources in order to reduce dependency on Russia's generation.

The IEA supplies advice to all countries that are members of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Although it suggested that Austria do more to create energy independence, it did not explicitly say that the country should employ hydraulic fracturing (fracking) methods to access its shale gas resources.

Currently, the vast majority of gas used within Austria is supplied via Russian imports, meaning that it is almost entirely dependent on the other country to meet its energy needs. However, as tensions over the Ukraine crisis escalate between Russia and the EU, many are worried that it could lead to disruptions in supply.

Austria is not the only country that seems unsure on its stance when it comes to the use of the highly controversial method of fracking for releasing natural gas from shale rock formations. Germany also has no set position on the matter while France has completely banned fracking. However, other countries throughout the world - such as the US - have benefitted from the drop in energy prices that extracting natural gas through such a method has brought.

Current restrictions within the EU when it comes to mining and chemical use, as well as environmental laws, population density, restrictions in terms of planning, and issues surrounding mineral ownership have stopped a shale gas boom from happening within European countries. Within Austria, environmental laws mean that extraction is prevented as it can take years to obtain a permit, according to the IEA. 

Natural gas makes up around 22 per cent of Austria's total energy supply. Around four-fifths of the gas used within the country is supplied through imports, the majority of which come from Russia. This means that fears of security of supply have now been raised, especially as there is no strategy in place that would allow the country to make the most of its own shale gas supplies.