Fifty years ago, on June 1, 1968, the Soviet company Soyuznefteexport and Österreichische Mineralölverwaltung (ÖMV) signed an agreement for supplying natural gas from the USSR to Austria. Within three months, gas from Western Siberia reached the Baumgarten station.
The initial amount of annual gas supplies – 142 million cubic meters – grew more than 64-fold within 50 years. Today, Austria is a major buyer of Russian gas. In 2017, exports reached a record 9.1 billion cubic meters, with over 218 billion cubic meters delivered to Austria since 1968.
“The strategic partnership of Gazprom and OMV is built on a solid foundation of the 50-year cooperation between our countries in the gas sector. We continue to work towards strengthening and advancing this relationship while meeting Europe’s growing demand for natural gas. We plan to reach a new level of strategic cooperation in the near future,” said Alexey Miller, Chairman of the Gazprom Management Committee. OMV AG is Gazprom’s main partner in Austria. The companies cooperate in gas production, transportation and supplies.
“In the past 50 years we have received reliable gas supplies from Russia and have been able to provide our industrial and household customers with high quality natural gas without interruption. This is a good base for expanding the partnership with Gazprom long term,” said Rainer Seele, Chairman of the Executive Board of OMV.
To mark the 50-year anniversary, Gazprom and OMV supported the “Old Masters from the Hermitage” exhibition in Vienna’s Kunsthistorisches Museum, where the world´s best artworks will be presented. In autumn the exhibition will move to the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg.
