OREANDA-NEWS. In Vienna, Alexander Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of the OAO Gazprom Management Committee, Dr. Wolfgang Ruttenstorfer, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Executive Board of OMV AG, Dr. Werner Auli, Chief Executive Officer of OMV Gas GmbH, Michael Peisser, Managing Director of EconGas GmbH, Dr. Christoph Hiller, Managing Director of GWH GmbH and John F. Skinner, Chief Executive Officer of Centrex Europe Energy & Gas AG entered into the long-term Contracts for natural gas supply to Austria.

In view of the Austrian gas market liberalization and OMV natural gas trading activity restructuring, the parties agreed that a 50 per cent owned subsidiary of EconGas would be the purchaser of Russian gas instead of OMV Gas International, with GWH and Centrex Europe Energy & Gas obtaining the opportunity to directly sell gas to Austrian consumers including in Karnten (Carinthia), Steiermark and Salzburg.

In pursuance of the Contracts signed, Gazprom will be annually supplying Austria with some 7 bcm of gas till 2027 (the earlier inked Contracts for the Russian gas supply to Austria expire in late 2012).