Natural gas prices across Europe are spiking as concerns grow about continued supplies from Russia.
%NaturalGas prices are now at their highest level since January, with prices rising to €34.39 (U.S.$37.35) per megawatt-hour.
The sharp rise in prices comes after energy companies warned of potential disruptions in Russian natural gas flows due to a court ruling in Austria that could impede payments to %Gazprom (GAZP), the Russian energy provider.
Gazprom is a major supplier of natural gas to the European continent. As much as six billion cubic meters of natural gas from Russia could be disrupted by the recent court ruling.
Some countries, such as Austria, rely on Gazprom and Russia for more than 90% of their natural gas needs.
European countries have been increasing their natural gas storage in recent years and buying liquefied natural gas from countries such as the U.S. and Canada to cope with Russian volatility.
Energy supplies from Russia have been disrupted and volatile ever since that country invaded Ukraine in 2022, incurring sanctions from western nations as a result.