Austria says Russia’s Gazprom will cut off natural gas supply this weekend

VIENNA (AP) — Russia’s state-owned natural gas company Gazrom will cut off supplies to Austria’s OMV utility early Saturday, Austria’s chancellor said Friday, adding that his country’s underground gas storage was full and that it had alternative, non-Russia supplies.

The cutoff follows OMV’s announcement that it would stop paying for Gazprom gas to its Austrian arm to offset a 230 million euro arbitration award it won over an earlier cutoff of gas to its German subsidiary.

Chancellor Karl Nehammer said Austria has a secure supply of alternative fuel and that “no one will freeze.”

“The supply is secure,” Nehammer said in a hastily called appearance at the chancellery. “Our gas storage facilities are full and we have sufficient capacity to obtain gas from other regions.

Representatives of OMV and Gazprom could not be immediately reached for comment.