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Breaking News
posted by janrinok on Tuesday December 12 2017, @03:50PM   Printer-friendly
from the too-big-to-fail dept.

Explosion in Baumgarten (Austria) gas transit plant, russian gas delivery halted for Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, and Croatia. Italy declares energy crisis. Gas price in Europe jumps ~20%. Crude oil futures rise too.

* https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMyiQtm56co (far away video)
* http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/12/12/least-one-killed-18-injured-explosion-austrian-gas-plant/
* https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/891284/Austria-gas-plant-blast-Europe-energy-crisis-fuel-shortages-Italy-state-emergency
* https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-12-12/u-k-gas-surges-after-explosion-in-austria-tightens-supply

UPDATE from: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-42321217

Police have cordoned off the area. Some victims suffering burns have been airlifted out by helicopter, Austrian ORF news reports.

One unconfirmed report spoke of 60 hurt.

"I heard a huge explosion and thought at first it was a plane crash," photographer Thomas Hulik, who lives in a nearby village in Slovakia, told AFP news agency. "Then I saw an immense ball of flame."

Gas Connect said the incident should have no effect on gas deliveries to Austria but those to Italy and Croatia might be reduced.

Meanwhile, Russia's Gazprom Export said it was working to redirect gas flows.

It said it was "doing everything possible to secure uninterrupted gas supplies" to customers in the region.

Spot prices rose sharply across Europe after the incident.


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  • (Score: 2, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday December 12 2017, @04:41PM (1 child)

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday December 12 2017, @04:41PM (#608781)

    Breaking: Gas Pipe Explosion in Austria

    I see what you did there!

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday December 12 2017, @05:49PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday December 12 2017, @05:49PM (#608816)

      Don't you think it would sound better if the article said,

      "Breaking: Wind Generator Fire in Austria"? (They do occasionally burn too)

  • (Score: 3, Interesting) by DannyB on Tuesday December 12 2017, @04:41PM (6 children)

    by DannyB (5839) Subscriber Badge on Tuesday December 12 2017, @04:41PM (#608782) Journal

    Getting those pipelines passing gas again is important especially in winter time.

    I hope people hurt in the explosion will recover.

    --
    People today are educated enough to repeat what they are taught but not to question what they are taught.
    • (Score: 3, Funny) by Runaway1956 on Tuesday December 12 2017, @06:00PM (4 children)

      by Runaway1956 (2926) Subscriber Badge on Tuesday December 12 2017, @06:00PM (#608822) Journal

      We should send a shipload of Navy beans to Austria?

      • (Score: 2) by Geezer on Tuesday December 12 2017, @06:03PM (2 children)

        by Geezer (511) on Tuesday December 12 2017, @06:03PM (#608825)

        Doesn't the Austrian Navy have it's own beans?

        Oh, wait...

        • (Score: 2) by fritsd on Tuesday December 12 2017, @07:13PM

          by fritsd (4586) on Tuesday December 12 2017, @07:13PM (#608867) Journal

          No, they eat Edelweisszszes.

        • (Score: 0, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday December 12 2017, @07:18PM

          by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday December 12 2017, @07:18PM (#608872)

          Doesn't the Austrian Navy have it's own beans?

          Yes, it is.

      • (Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday December 12 2017, @06:16PM

        by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday December 12 2017, @06:16PM (#608834)

        What will Austria do with a bunch of waterlogged Mexicans?

    • (Score: 3, Funny) by driverless on Wednesday December 13 2017, @01:21AM

      by driverless (4770) on Wednesday December 13 2017, @01:21AM (#609044)

      Couldn't we just ship the Russian pickled cucumbers to Germany or France instead and source our gas from there?

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday December 12 2017, @05:00PM (1 child)

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday December 12 2017, @05:00PM (#608789)

    Kidding!

    • (Score: 2) by bob_super on Tuesday December 12 2017, @06:13PM

      by bob_super (1357) on Tuesday December 12 2017, @06:13PM (#608832)

      Kangaroos have been safe since the chief Dingo moved to the FCC.

      This is more like Austria telling yesterday's NY idiot: "THIS is a pipe bomb, dumbass!"

  • (Score: 3, Informative) by pkrasimirov on Tuesday December 12 2017, @05:14PM (14 children)

    by pkrasimirov (3358) Subscriber Badge on Tuesday December 12 2017, @05:14PM (#608799)
    • (Score: 1) by fustakrakich on Tuesday December 12 2017, @05:54PM (13 children)

      by fustakrakich (6150) on Tuesday December 12 2017, @05:54PM (#608820) Journal

      Damn! Sure shows why everybody is so desirous of Ukraine...

      --
      La politica e i criminali sono la stessa cosa..
      • (Score: 3, Insightful) by Runaway1956 on Tuesday December 12 2017, @06:01PM (12 children)

        by Runaway1956 (2926) Subscriber Badge on Tuesday December 12 2017, @06:01PM (#608824) Journal

        Yup! The Ukraine is worth every bit of the US$14billion the Cock brothers invested to destabilize it!

        • (Score: 3, Insightful) by DeathMonkey on Tuesday December 12 2017, @06:27PM (11 children)

          by DeathMonkey (1380) on Tuesday December 12 2017, @06:27PM (#608844) Journal

          I'm no Koch fan but it seems like being annexed and occupied by Russia is a bit higher on the grievances list...

          • (Score: 5, Informative) by Runaway1956 on Tuesday December 12 2017, @06:37PM (10 children)

            by Runaway1956 (2926) Subscriber Badge on Tuesday December 12 2017, @06:37PM (#608848) Journal

            People really need to look at things from more than one angle. Those portions of the Ukraine "annexed" by Russia were predominantly Russian people. If you remember, the Ukraine government were acting like royal asses toward Russian people in eastern Ukraine, going so far as to dictate that they could no longer speak Russian. When the Kock brothers installed their puppet, they ensured that he would persecute the Russian people within Ukraine. Very much the same thing in Georgia - everyone was shitting on the Russian people living there.

            I hate to stick up for the Russians, but there ARE multiple perspectives to consider.

            And, the fact is, Ukraine had a corrupt but working government, before the Kochs moved in. Now - Ukraine has a corrupt but ineffective excuse for a government.

            • (Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday December 12 2017, @06:49PM (6 children)

              by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday December 12 2017, @06:49PM (#608852)

              People really need to look at things from more than one angle. Those portions of the Ukraine "annexed" by Russia were predominantly Russian people.

              So was Austria and Czech Republic were German when Hitler took over too. What is your point?

              I hate to stick up for the Russians, but there ARE multiple perspectives to consider.

              I hate to say it, but people shouldn't be dying because some ass-holes somewhere want power. Be that Russia or US or wherever. I stick up to Russians, right until they sent in the army and muscled their way in because they didn't like the other assholes. That is when they became a bigger asshole. Just like in Georgia. And this is not how it's suppose to be done these days.

              • (Score: 3, Insightful) by Runaway1956 on Tuesday December 12 2017, @08:40PM (4 children)

                by Runaway1956 (2926) Subscriber Badge on Tuesday December 12 2017, @08:40PM (#608914) Journal

                Uh-huh. We're back to the arguments against invading Iraq. Saddam Hussein provided a kind of stability, no matter how rotten a bastard he may have been. Saddam's greatest sin was, he misjudged the reactions of the US and it's allies. Ditto Colonel Quadaffy, in his turn.

                Fact is that some asshole is going to move in and run things, and sometimes, it's the assholes we don't like. Other times, it's the assholes we like better. But, there will always be an asshole. What aggravates me is, we act as if our assholes are somehow better than the other assholes. In reality, they all play the same damned game.

                • (Score: 2) by MostCynical on Tuesday December 12 2017, @09:14PM

                  by MostCynical (2589) on Tuesday December 12 2017, @09:14PM (#608930) Journal
                  --
                  "I guess once you start doubting, there's no end to it." -Batou, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
                • (Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday December 13 2017, @12:30PM (2 children)

                  by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday December 13 2017, @12:30PM (#609194)

                  What aggravates me is, we act as if our assholes are somehow better than the other assholes. In reality, they all play the same damned game.

                  You are saying it like there was option C - no assholes, but previously you explicitly wrote: "But, there will always be an asshole."
                  If so, then for any particular side, their asshole is clearly better option than other side's asshole.

                  However I see what you mean, and this is what we've got: we strive for "no assholes" option again and again, which explains and rationalizes the intentions behind actions which brought in this wave of instability, but all we get is a bunch of less strong assholes in place of one big asshole, and resulting effect on the innocent is even more widespread suffering.

                  When you try to cut a steak on a plate using only a knife without waiting for a fork to be brought to the table, usually the mess ensues. Don't jump out of the airplane door just hoping that you've got parachute. Prepare parachute before you jump. ... etc. I could go with these analogies all day.

                  That's flip side of overachievers: they want it done now, even if they will fail because of their impatience. It goes to show that their goals are selfish ones - to snatch laurels, not the stated ones - whichever good is to be brought. None gets a bronze monument for nurturing and building up new enlightened leaders to world's less free regions over long decades. And it all could be lost in days - look at the Balkans after dissolution of Yugoslavia or Central Asia after Soviet Union. They got almost instant regression to pre-19th century at the fall of the hat! You can't expect to remove inner walls from a classer box without carefully replacing them with new ones, in fact installing new ones prior to removing old ones, and expect that everything stays tidy. Once communist ideology was out, so were its parts which it had in common with modern democracy - inter-ethnic tolerance and basic human solidarity, but none bothered to think beyond anticommunist propaganda to see that vacuum left after one ideology will not automatically get filled with modern ideas, but instead as one layer is ripped off, an older, preceding mindset will resurface. When we today remove strongmen dictators from e.g. Arab world, we are pushing those nations deeper back into their historical (as recalled) narrative.

                  In short, people in high places are (either) incompetent or/and irresponsible.

                  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday December 15 2017, @03:36PM

                    by Anonymous Coward on Friday December 15 2017, @03:36PM (#610316)

                    You are saying it like there was option C - no assholes, but previously you explicitly wrote: "But, there will always be an asshole."
                    If so, then for any particular side, their asshole is clearly better option than other side's asshole.

                    When it's not an asshole, the USA often overthrows him/her and installs their pet asshole.

                    The USA has overthrown a number of democratically elected leaders who were arguably better for their people than the assholes the USA installed.

                    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_involvement_in_regime_change [wikipedia.org]

                  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday December 16 2017, @06:35AM

                    by Anonymous Coward on Saturday December 16 2017, @06:35AM (#610635)

                    people in high places are (either) incompetent or/and irresponsible.

                    No, people in high places generally are psychopaths. Incompetence and irresponsibility are irrelevant.

              • (Score: 2) by FatPhil on Wednesday December 13 2017, @02:52PM

                by FatPhil (863) <pc-soylentNO@SPAMasdf.fi> on Wednesday December 13 2017, @02:52PM (#609221) Homepage
                > So was Austria and Czech Republic were German when Hitler took over too.

                Correction/clarification - Austria was annexed in the anschluss of early 1938, a full 5 years after Uncle Addie was made chancellor, and the Czech republic annexation was a further 6 months later.

                But your point about bigger assholes is well made. The enemy of your enemy is probably not your friend if the way they help you involves invading. (Speaking from an Estonian-resident's perspective.)
                --
                Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
            • (Score: 1) by fustakrakich on Tuesday December 12 2017, @10:29PM

              by fustakrakich (6150) on Tuesday December 12 2017, @10:29PM (#608980) Journal

              Don't the Koch Bros want to sell a bunch of coal to Europe? /facetious

              --
              La politica e i criminali sono la stessa cosa..
            • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday December 13 2017, @04:50AM (1 child)

              by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday December 13 2017, @04:50AM (#609096)

              There were two minority language regions in Georgia. Neither is Russian, either by language or ethnicity. Russia tore these regions off to create Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Russia didn't do this out of benevolence. Georgia had dared to consider closer ties with the EU, possibly including membership. Russia is simply not OK with the EU expanding into an area that Russia feels is rightly within a Russian sphere of influence.

              The same issue, closer ties with the EU, is largely behind Russia's attack on the Ukraine.

              South Ossetia is particularly troubling for two reasons:

              First, it rips a chunk right out of the middle of Georgia. This is horrible from a security perspective, and of course taking the long way around is costly.

              Second, there is some serious hypocrisy on display. You see, there is also a North Ossetia. It is of similar size, adjacent to South Ossetia, on the other side of a mountain ridge. North Ossetia is part of Russia. Note that Russia isn't giving that up. The two sides are both Ossetian, speaking the same language. If Russia actually cared about Ossetians, then the Ossetians would get unified. Maybe the Ossetians would even join the EU.

              Basically, Russia insists on running the affairs of its neighbors. Joining the EU is not OK.

              • (Score: 2) by FatPhil on Wednesday December 13 2017, @02:57PM

                by FatPhil (863) <pc-soylentNO@SPAMasdf.fi> on Wednesday December 13 2017, @02:57PM (#609222) Homepage
                > First, it rips a chunk right out of the middle of Georgia. This is horrible from a security perspective, and of course taking the long way around is costly.

                Kaliningrad being proof that horrible and costly doesn't need to mean incendiary. The baltic states get buzzed by Russian jets (without transponders) going between Kaliningrad and Mother Russia all the time. That's fine - it's just unpredictable scrambling drill, like random drug testing for athletes - it keeps us on our toes. Never a real threat though. I imagine /Top Gun/ like scenes play out frequently...
                --
                Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday December 12 2017, @06:09PM (4 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday December 12 2017, @06:09PM (#608830)

    Why don't they just get their American friends to bail them out with liquid gas shipments. It's not like the Russians were important to them, the way the US satellites in Europe have been pissing on them in every arena.

    • (Score: 2) by bob_super on Tuesday December 12 2017, @06:20PM (1 child)

      by bob_super (1357) on Tuesday December 12 2017, @06:20PM (#608839)

      The Italians would really like a time machine to go back and prevent the fall of the friendly stable dictator of Lybia, who was providing energy and preventing migrations.
      He even gave up nukes and bought weapons. What a nice guy!

      • (Score: 3, Interesting) by c0lo on Tuesday December 12 2017, @07:28PM

        by c0lo (156) Subscriber Badge on Tuesday December 12 2017, @07:28PM (#608875) Journal

        The Italians would really like a time machine to go back and prevent the fall of the friendly stable dictator of Lybia, who was providing energy and preventing migrations.
        He even gave up nukes and bought weapons. What a nice guy!

        Yeah, how convenient for a certain country. Not only got rid of a dictator who started to move away from petrodollars [foreignpolicyjournal.com], but also created a host of problems for its own allies.
        Because we are powerful enough if others aren't weak enough, right?

        --
        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday December 12 2017, @08:10PM (1 child)

      by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday December 12 2017, @08:10PM (#608892)

      Whatever you're buying, if you don't have another option - you're Doing It Wrong.

      • (Score: 2) by Bot on Wednesday December 13 2017, @12:42AM

        by Bot (3902) on Wednesday December 13 2017, @12:42AM (#609028) Journal

        Honey, this is Italy. It's a wonder we managed to get ONE supplier.

        --
        Account abandoned.
  • (Score: 2) by Bot on Wednesday December 13 2017, @12:41AM (1 child)

    by Bot (3902) on Wednesday December 13 2017, @12:41AM (#609027) Journal

    Italy has activated its emergency plan which is working well.
    (the emergency plan consists in praying that the weather keeps featuring some unusually high temperatures, like +12C at night in the northern regions).

    Well, I hope this "heatwave" stays around. Sub zero temps and no gas for heating means water pipes breakage.

    --
    Account abandoned.
    • (Score: 2) by pkrasimirov on Wednesday December 13 2017, @08:53AM

      by pkrasimirov (3358) Subscriber Badge on Wednesday December 13 2017, @08:53AM (#609146)

      The emergency plan is to get all oil & coal powerplants running on 100%. I'm not aware if it's already in motion, I think 50% of Italy gas consumption still comes from gas reserves yet. Austria said it will get back to pumping gas in "days".

  • (Score: 2) by pkrasimirov on Wednesday December 13 2017, @10:23AM

    by pkrasimirov (3358) Subscriber Badge on Wednesday December 13 2017, @10:23AM (#609173)

    Italy has the gas coming, as do the other affected countries. Well done, Austria!

    http://noe.orf.at/news/stories/2883585/ [noe.orf.at]

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