Austria Energy Natural Gas Investments

With Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Austria’s natural gas supply landscape began a major transformation that culminated in a near-complete halt of Russian natural gas at the end of 2024. Austria is now diversifying its sources of natural gas, creating opportunities for U.S. suppliers of both molecules and infrastructure.

Austria is Investing in New Natural Gas Sources and Infrastructure

Austria uses between 7.6 and 9.3 bcm of natural gas annually to warm buildings, power manufacturing, and provide electricity. For decades, Russia was Austria’s most important supplier. With Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Austria’s natural gas supply landscape began a major transformation that culminated in a near-complete halt of Russian natural gas at the end of 2024.

Since then, Austria has been drawing heavily from domestic storage facilities which are filled during the summers to use during the winters. At the same time, new sources of natural gas via Germany and Italy are being actively explored. Here is a look at some of the opportunities for U.S. suppliers that are developing as a result:

Increased Demand for Gas Imports: With Russian pipeline gas no longer flowing, Austria now relies on alternative suppliers, particularly through Germany and Italy. This opens the door for U.S. exporters of Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) to supply natural gas via these neighboring markets. High Storage Refill Demand for 2025: Due to higher than usual consumption in the winter of 2024/25 and the end of Russian gas flows, storage levels have dropped faster than usual in 2025. Austria will need to import and inject large volumes of gas in the coming months to prepare for winter 2025/26, creating near-term sales opportunities.

Infrastructure Upgrades: Austria plans to increase its import capacity by 2.5 bcm/year by 2027 with an investment in the West-Austria-Gasleitung (WAG) pipeline. Expected price tag is $225 million. This presents a concrete opportunity for pipeline equipment suppliers and service providers to participate in capacity expansion and modernization projects.

To learn more about the Austrian market for natural gas and how your company can take advantage of these opportunities, reach out to our energy specialist Marta Haustein at marta.haustein@trade.gov.