Austria is looking to end energy company OMV's long-term contract to purchase gas from Gazprom, due to persistently high Russian gas imports as the war in Ukraine continues, according to Austria's energy minister on Monday.

Austria attempted to bring an end to its reliance on affordable Russian gas shortly after Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, seeking to find alternative providers, Reuters reports.

Partially state-owned oil company OMV said it would continue to buy gas from Gazprom under the contract that extends until 2040. This is despite criticism from the likes of energy minister Leonore Gewessler, who said Moscow was no longer a reliable partner.

Gewessler said during a news conference on Monday that Russia's share of Austria's gas imports rose in December to a new high of 98%, from 76% in November, even though the total import volume marginally declined.

"The market and the energy companies that are part of it are not fulfilling their responsibility to reduce the dependency on Russian gas sufficiently. The diversification of our gas imports is advancing far too slowly," the energy minister stated.

She added the ministry had requested economic think-tank Wifo to carry out a study on the economic impact of terminating the contract and the dangers of staying reliant on Russian gas.

"We must prepare to exit OMV's long-term contracts," Gewessler added.

However, OMV filed a statement claiming Russian gas is not under EU sanctions and several countries import it, adding: "If lawmakers wish to abandon Russian gas, the legal basis for that must first be created."

The country's energy ministry also said it plans to make it mandatory for firms selling gas in Austria to adopt measures to lower the proportion of Russian gas in their mix. The requirement will need a two-thirds majority in parliament in order to become law, the energy minister added.