C 312/194
EN
Official Journal of the European Union
1.9.2023
(36)
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has exposed the vulnerability of Austria’s energy supply security.
Although Austria managed to reduce its reliance on gas imports from Russia, which were down to 57 % of its total gas imports in 2022 compared to 80 % in 2021, they remain significantly above the Union average.
To diversify its energy sources, the government introduced financial incentives for companies to import gas from non-Russian sources and established a strategic gas reserve in 2022.
Nevertheless, Austria still faces significant challenges in ensuring energy security.
The country still lacks a clearly defined near-term path to fully decouple from Russian gas imports.
Moreover, there remains underused potential in the production and transmission of renewable gases such as hydrogen, especially for sectors and regions vulnerable to supply disruptions.
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In 2021, the share of renewable energy in Austria stood at 36 % of final energy consumption, which is significantly above the Union average.
To achieve Austria’s climate objectives, which include reaching climate neutrality by 2040, the country needs to further expand this share.
The 2021 Renewables Expansion Act, a reform included in the recovery and resilience plan, has created a framework that will help increase the share of renewable energy in electricity consumption.
The reform aims to achieve a yearly electricity generation capacity of 27 TWh from renewables by 2030, which will contribute to the country’s target of reaching 100 % renewable electricity consumption by that year, up from the current 81 % in 2020.
However, further expansion of renewables still faces challenges, such as the length of spatial planning and permitting procedures, a complex division of powers between the federal and regional governments and staffing issues in the administration.
Austria has taken a first step in introducing a more streamlined environmental impact assessment for renewable energy projects.
In addition, Austria could better align spatial zoning with its green transition goals, fix issues with staffing and increase investment in network infrastructure such as storage, distribution, and transmission.
The expansion of renewable energy would also benefit from putting in place dedicated acceleration areas for renewables (in particular for wind) with short and simple permitting procedures, and from recognising renewable energy as an overriding public interest, in line with the more ambitious renewable energy targets in the ‘Fit for 55’ package and the REPowerEU plan.
Furthermore, additional sources of renewable energy, such as geothermal energy, could be further explored.
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Austria’s consumption of natural gas dropped by 19 % in the period between August 2022 and March 2023, compared to the average gas consumption over the same period in the preceding five years, beyond the 15 % reduction target.
Austria could keep pursuing efforts to temporarily reduce gas demand until 31 March 2024 accordance with Council Regulation (EU) 2022/1369 (17).
In addition, increasing the level of ambition for energy efficiency in the building and manufacturing sectors would reduce reliance on fossil fuels.
Austria’s long-term renovation strategy sets clear milestones for 2050 and aims to achieve an 80 % decarbonisation of its building stock.
The recovery and resilience plan also aims to phase out fossil fuel boilers in the building sector and replace them with renewable heating technology or district heating.
However, Austria’s 2030 energy efficiency targets are not ambitious enough to meet the objectives of the ‘Fit for 55’ package and the REPowerEU plan.
A new Energy Efficiency Law, which is expected in 2023 and aims to reduce final energy consumption by 18 % by 2030, should address this issue.
Overall, it will be essential for Austria to accelerate investment in the deep renovation of buildings, replace fossil fuels with renewables in heating, and better manage energy consumption through utility digitalisation (such as smart meters and thermostats).
Furthermore, it will be crucial that the current slow pace at which buildings are undergoing thermal renovation is speeded up.
The timely implementation of the Renewable Heating Law, a flagship reform in the Austrian recovery and resilience plan, will be key to tackling the issue.
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Embarking on the green transition will also include the reduction of emissions in several sectors, especially those stemming from transport, as those sectors have significant potential for emissions reductions.
Austria currently serves as a significant transit country for transalpine road freight.
Despite a number of sustainable transport investments under the Austrian recovery and resilience plan, a further reduction of transport-related emissions, while simultaneously addressing transport poverty, will be essential for achieving climate neutrality.
Developing additional transport solutions, such as connecting the ‘last mile’, and alternatives to car use, will also be key, especially in rural areas.
(17) Council Regulation (EU) 2022/1369 of 5 August 2022 on coordinated demand-reduction measures for gas (OJ L 206, 8.8.2022, p. 1).