Supply chaos clouds European gas outlook

Europe may be pushing to diversify gas imports, but two surprise supply shocks have put the sector on edge

Disruption to European gas supply following the explosion at Austria's Baumgarten gas hub on 12 December, along with the shutdown of the Fortes Pipeline System (FPS) supplying oil and gas to the UK from North Sea fields, have highlighted energy security concerns on a continent where gas demand is on the rise. The Baumgarten explosion, which hub operator Gas Austria Connect has said could be related to a technical fault in the filter system, knocked out a critical nexus for trans-European supply to several countries, including Italy, Germany, Croatia, Hungary and Slovenia. It sent gas and electricity prices soaring in the immediate aftermath of the incident. In Italy, which was worst affected