- Austria isn't close to cutting off Russian natural gas, according to a top energy official.
- "it will be a huge effort, and we have to be upfront that it will take time," said Energy Minister Leonore Gewessler.
- The country entered a long-term contract with Russia that expires in 2040.
Austria's top energy official acknowledged the country is years away from severing its connection to Russian natural gas and that amassing an emergency reserve would most likely include Russian supplies.
Russia's war on Ukraine has pushed Austria to face several "uncomfortable truths," one of which being the difficulty associated with seeking gas supplies from other markets, said Energy Minister Leonore Gewessler, according to Bloomberg.
"It will be a huge effort, and we have to be upfront that it will take time," she said.
Austria is still tied into a long-term contract with the Kremlin for a stream of gas supplies that runs through 2040.
But a recent report from the Austrian Energy Agency said the country could stop importing Russian natural gas in five years via diversification of supplies, improvements in energy efficiency, and synthetic fuels.
Gewessler's comments show the difficulty some European countries face as seek to end their reliance on Russian energy.
While the European Union is inching closer to a full-scale embargo on Russian oil, it faces opposition from some countries like Hungary, which has called for the EU exclude member states that receive their supply via pipeline.