SOLID FUELS AND COAL GAS IN THE SOVIET ZONE OF AUSTRIA

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP79-01093A000500180001-4
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
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• Document Page Count: 66
• Document Creation Date: November 9, 2016
• Document Release Date: November 2, 1998
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: August 2, 1954
• Content Type: IR

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PROVISIONAL INTELLIGENCE REPORT
SOLID FUELS AND COAL GAS
IN THE SOVIET ZONE OF AUSTRIA
CIA/RR PR-67
(ORR Project 26.199)
2 August 1954
NOTICE
';HANGS tN CLASS.
NEXTf=~-VIE^d " tE
A'ITH. Hg YO-2
CcCLASSF:D
CLASS. GH"r;sE'-'O. IS S C, Af
.312044,..,...4
The data and conclusions contained in this report
do not necessarily represent the final position of
ORR and should be regarded as provisional only and
subject to revision. Comments and data which may
be available to the user are solicited.
THIS DOCUMENT CONTAINS INFORMATION AFFECTING THE NATIONAL
DEFENSE OF TEE UNITED STATES WITHIN THE MEANING OF THE
ESPIONAGE LAWS, TITLE 18, USC, SECS. 793 AND 794, THE
TRANSMISSION OR REVELATION OF WHICH IN ANY MANNER TO AN
UNAUTHORIZED PERSON IS PROHIBITED BY LAW.
Office of Research and Reports
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CONTENTS
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
.
I. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
.
3
II. Coal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
.
4
A. General . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
.
4
B. Organization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
C. Supply . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
..
5
1. Production . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
.
6
2. Trends . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
.
7
3. Imports and Exports . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
.
8
4. Stocks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
.
9
D. Consumption and Distribution . . . . . . . . . . .
.
10
E. Reserves and Quality . . . . . . . . . . . .
.
12
F. Technology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
.
15
G. Labor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
.
16
III. Coke . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
.
17
IV. Fuel Briquettes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
.
18
V. Fuelwood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
.
19
VI. Coal Gas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
.
21
A. General . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
.
21
B. Production and Consumption . . . . . . . . . . . .
.
23
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Page
VIII. Capabilities, Vulnerabilities, and Intentions . . . . . . 27
A. Capabilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
B. Vulnerabilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
'C. Intentions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Appendixes
Appendix A. Tables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Appendix B. Methodology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Appendix C. Gaps in Intelligence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Appendix D. Sources and Evaluation of Sources . . . . . . . 49
Tables
1. Soviet Zone of Austria: Gross Production and Availability
of Coal, 1937 and 1946-53 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
2. Soviet Zone of Austria: Estimated Total Production,
Imports, and Distribution of Coal, Coke, and Fuel
Briquettes, 1948-53 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
3. Soviet Zone of Austria: Stocks of "Hard" Coal and Coke
by Major Consumer Categories, 1950-52 . . . . . . . 10
4. Soviet Zone of Austria: Distribution of Indigenous
Bituminous Coal by Consumer Categories, 1937 and
1948-53 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
5. Soviet Zone of Austria: Percent of Electric Power
Produced by Types of Fuel, 1948, 1950, and 1951 . . . . 12
6. Soviet Zone of Austria: Estimated Distribution of Solid
Fuels by Major Consumer Categories, FEE Basis,
1948-53 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
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7. Soviet Zone of Austria: Coal Reserves, 1948 . . . . . . . 14
8. Soviet Zone of Austria: Gross Production and Distribution
of Coke, 1937 and 1948-53 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
9. Soviet Zone of Austria: Gross Production and Distribution
of Fuel Briquettes, 1949-52 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
10. Soviet Zone of Austria: Logging Per Hectare of Forestland,
1935, 1946-52 Average, and 1951-52 . . . . . . . . . . . 20
11. Soviet Zone of Austria: Estimated Consumption of
Fuelwood, 1948/49, 1949/50, and 1951-53 . . . . . . . . . 21
12. Vienna Gasworks: Input-Output Data, Selected Years
1937-51 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
13. Soviet Zone of Austria: Municipal Gas Production by 24
Towns, 1952 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
14. Soviet Zone of Austria: Municipal Gas Distribution, 25
Selected Years 1925-52 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
15. Soviet Zone of Austria: Vienna, Average Annual Retail
Prices of Solid Fuels and Gas, and General Price Index, 26
1937 and 1948-53 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
16. Soviet Zone of Austria: Vienna, Average Annual Whilesale
Prices of Solid Fuels, and General Price Index, 1937
and 1948-53 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
17. Soviet Zone of Austria: Gross Production and Availability
of Coal, Coke, and Fuel Briquettes, 1937 and 1946-53 ? ? 32
18. Soviet Zone of Austria: Estimated Average Distribution
of Solid Fuels as Percent of Total Austrian Distribution,
by Consumer Categories, HCE Basis, 1948-53 . . . . . . . 34
19. Soviet Zone of Austria: Reserves and Quality of Coal
Deposits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
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Page
20. Soviet Zone of Austria: Data on Production of Coal and
on Employment, by Individual Mines . . . . . . . . . . . 37
21. Soviet Zone of Austria: Estimated Production of Coke,
1937 and 1948-53 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
22. Austria: Major Imports of Solid Fuels, 1952-53 . . . . . 41
23. Soviet Zone of Austria: Indigenous Production of Primary
Energy, 1948, 1950, and 1952-53 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Illustrations Following Page
Figure 1. Gross Production of Primary Energy in the
Soviet Zone of Austria . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Figure 2. Origin of Coal, Cokes and Fuel Briquettes
Distributed in the Soviet Zone. of Austria . . . . .. 8
Austria: Soviet Zone, Coal Mines . . . . . . . . . . . Inside Back Cover
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(ORR Project 26.199)
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SOLID FUELS AND COAL GAS IN THE SOVIET ZONE OF AUSTRIA*
Summary
Solid fuels are only a minor source of primary energy in the Soviet
Zone of Austria. The zone is dependent, however, on the importation of
"hard"** coal, primarily because of the lack of domestically produced
coal suitable for coking at the municipal gas plant in Vienna (Vienna
Gasworks).
Total production of coal in 1953 in the Soviet Zone of Austria
was about 560,000 tons,*** of which 160,000 tons were bituminous and
about 400,000 tons were brown coal. The substitution of liquid fuels
and natural gas for solid fuels has resulted in a decrease in the
production of solid fuels, excluding fuelwood, since 1951. During
the same period, imports of all solid fuels, excluding fuelwood,
declined about 14 percent. In 1953, imports of solid fuels were five
times as great as indigenous production of both "hard" coal and
brown coal.
Reserves of coal in the Soviet Zone of Austria are limited both
qualitatively and.quantitatively. Bituminous coal reserves are
estimated at 1.8 million tons and brown coal reserves at 137 million
tons. Both bituminous coal and brown coal are low in quality when
compared to US coals, and the brown coal has an additional defic-
iency in that it is difficult to stockpile.
The generally small size of the individual coal deposits and
their geological conditions have caused a low level of technology.
There is no use of modern machines such as units that combine ex-
traction and loading of coal. In 1952 the total labor force engaged
in the coal mining industry was about 2,600, with about 2,450 engaged
in actual mining operations. Productivity in deep mines and in
strip mines is very low, less than one-third of the deep-mining
rate in the UK and West Germany and little more than one-fifth of the
strip-mining rate in the US.
* The estimates and conclusions contained in this report repre-
sent the best judgment of the responsible analyst as of 1 June 1954.
** For the purposes of this report, the term "hard" coal means
anthracite or bituminous coal.
*** Tonnages throughout this report are given in metric tons.
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Fuel briquettes are of minor importance and are made from imported
solid fuels. There is no known production of brown coal briquettes,
although there is a large demand for imported brown coal briquettes
for household uses. When coal supplies were low in the immediate
postwar period, the timber stands were overcut beyond the rate of an-
nual growth, and additional fuelwood was imported from the US Zone
of Austria. Recent data indicate that overcutti.ng is still preva-
lent. Fuelwood is a greater source of primary energy than coal at
this time.
No metallurgical coke plants exist in the Soviet Zone of Austria,
and the coke that is produced is a byproduct from the manufacture
of gas, mainly from the Vienna municipal gas plant. Zonal demands
for metallurgical coke are small and are satisfied by Imports and
by the relatively small part of the indigenous coke that meets met-
allurgical or foundry standards. The bulk of the coke is used for
domestic heating. Imported hard coal is necessary for making coke
and coal gas because indigenous coals are not suitable.
The bulk of the coal gas produced in the Soviet Zone of Austria
is made at the municipal gas plant in Vienna; in 1952 this plant pro-
duced more than 288.5 million cubic meters, about 97 percent of all
coal gas made in the Soviet Zone. Production of coal gas has de-
clined in recent years because of the increased use, of natural gas,
which is blended with coal gas. There are limitations, however,
on the replacement of coal gas by natural gas.
Present equipment using gas has probably reached the limit of
maximum utilization of natural gas in a blended gas mixture. Complete
cessation of coal gas production would require a minor but expensive
change in the equipment now in use. Consequently, it is believed
that the present output of coal gas will continue, as no intention to
convert or change present equipment is indicated, and it is not known
whether the Soviet authorities will continue to make the natural gas
available. Most of the coal gas is and will continue to be used for
domestic purposes.
Two of the larger brown coal mines are nationalized, and almost all
of the zonal production of bituminous coal, fuel oil, and natural gas
is controlled by the USSR.
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Expansion of the coal industry is improbable, because of the
abundance of fuel oil and natural gas. On the other hand,consumers
are reluctant to convert to oil and gas exclusively, as such a move
would put their fuel supply at the mercy of the Soviet authorities.
Therefore it is believed that the coal industry will continue at about
its 1953 rate. Bituminous production may decline even more, but brown
coal mining probably will increase to compensate for the decrease in
bituminous coal production. Fuelwood production will probably de-
cline in order to permit forests to recuperate from overcutting.
Other solid fuels are being replaced by fuel oil and natural gas, but
additional replacement beyond the present level is not believed
probable.
The chief vulnerability of the Soviet Zone of Austria is the
necessity for importing bituminous coal, particularly for the gas
plant in Vienna. Interruptions or stoppages of this flow of imported
coal would vitally affect the Vienna area. Other users, such as rail-
roads and industry, are less dependent on imported coal. Self-
sufficiency in solid fuels could be achieved by further conversion
to fuel oils and natural gas, but such a process would only exchange the
present vulnerability of dependence on imported coal for one of
dependence on Soviet-controlled fuel oil and natural gas.
The importance of solid fuels as a source of primary energy within
the Soviet Zone of Austria was relatively small in 1948 and has de-
clined since. The increased use of oil and natural gas, the develop-
ment of hydroelectric power in the Western Zone, and the increased
electrification of the railroads have all contributed to less depend-
ence on solid fuels.* In the primary energy balance, coal has declined
50 percent in its share of the zonal total from 1950 to 1953 (10.8
percent in 1950 and 5.4 percent in 1953). Details of the primary energy
balance are given in Appendix A, Table 23. It is estimated that in
1953 bituminous coal production declined about 13.5 percent and brown
coal about 11 percent compared with 1952. Since 1951 the amount of
coal imported has declined, although the Soviet Zone is still a net
* See Figure 1, following p. 4 ; and Figure 2, following p. 8.
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importer of coal. Both imports and production have decreased because
of the displacement of coal by oil and natural gas. These facts
present a bleak future for coal as long as the USSR continues to re-
lease indigenous oil and gas at the present rates. Other solid fuels
such as coke and fuel briquettes are of secondary importance. Coke
production is a byproduct of coal gas, and, if the municipal gas plant
at Vienna should change completely to natural gas, coke production
would virtually cease. Fuelwood supplies more energy than indigenous
coal, and its production increased slightly in 1953 over that of 1952.
This report is limited to solid fuels* and gas manufactured from
coal. Any discussion of economic trends, however, will inevitably
cause some mention of nonsolid fuels such as oil and natural gas.
Discussion is confined as much as possible to the years since World
War II, although prewar data are occasionally included for comparative
purposes.
A. General.
The region near Gruenbach am Schneeberge** in the Soviet Zone
of Austria historically has produced most of the bituminous coal
mined in Austria up to the present time. Its production plus that
from a few other small mines in the Soviet Zone has comprised about
95 percent of total Austrian output of bituminous coal since the end
of World War II. Brown coal also is mined, but the output of the
Soviet Zone has accounted for only about 10 percent of the national
total in recent years. A better variety of brown coal called Glanz,
roughly equivalent to US subbituminous, occurs in Austria, but its
production is insignificant in the Soviet Zone. As far as is known,
neither anthracite nor bituminous coking coal occurs in Austria.
Despite its resemblance to US medium-volatile bituminous coal, the
Gruenbach coal is specifically shown as noncoking in all sources that
refer to its coking properties. In this respect the coal at Gruenbach
apparently resembles the Ruhr Halbfettkohle or Esskohle coals, the
latter definitely being.noncoking and noncaking. 1/***
* Peat, oil shale, and charcoal are excluded from this report
owing to the lack of information on them.
** See the map, Austria: Soviet Zone, Coal Mines, inside back
cover.
*** Footnote references in arabic numerals are to sources listed in
Appendix D.
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Figure 1
GROSS PRODUCTION OF PRIMARY ENERGY
IN THE SOVIET ZONE OF AUSTRIA*
1953
1952
*Percentages on a calorific basis
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In addition to the deposit at Gruenbach, scattered deposits
of bituminous coal occur in Lower Austria and are mined intermittently
on a very small scale. Brown coal is mined in both of the provinces
of Lower Austria and Burgenland, but there is no record of any coal
production since World War II in the part of Upper Austria controlled
by the USSR north of the Danube. The center of brown coal production
in Burgenland is at Tauchen near Oberworth, about 120 kilometers
south of Vienna. In Lower Austria the larger brown coal mines are at
Neusiedl near Berndorf, at Statzendorf west of Vienna, and at Langau
which is near Geras and east of Raabs, close to the Czechoslovak
border.*
B. Organization.
Before World War II, most of the Austrian coal industry was
privately controlled, although subject to the usual state safety reg-
ulations. Certain industries were reported to control coal mines,
and the city of Vienna owned and mined the coal deposits at
Zillingdorf, about 30 kilometers south of the city. The Kirchbichl
mine in the province of Tyrol, 2/ controlled by the Ministry of Trade,
was then the only nationalized mine in Austria. After the Anschluss
in 1938, all production and distribution were controlled by a German
syndicate. After World War II the USSR seized control of the
Gruenbach and Neusiedl mines as German assets, making them USIA (Ad-
ministration of Soviet Assets in Austria) enterprises. About 90
percent of the Austrian coal mining industry was nationalized in
1946 and was put under the Ministry of Communications and Nationalized
Industries. 3/ In the years 1950-52, about 93 percent of the total
Austrian coal output came from the nationalized mines. 4/ Similar
figures for the Soviet Zone are not available, but apparently the
Austrian authorities are excluding from nationalized output the
production of the Gruenbach and Neusiedl mines, which are controlled
by the USIA. Two nationalized mines are in the Soviet Zone, the
Langau mine in Lower Austria and the Neufeld an der Leitha (a.L.) mine
in Burgenland. The other mines in the Soviet Zone are privately
owned. 5/
* See Appendix A, Table 19, and map, inside back cover.
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C. Supply.
1. Production.
Gross production* of coal in the Soviet Zone of Austria
reached a post-World War II peak in 1951. In that year, roughly
190,000 tons of bituminous coal and 523,000 tons of brown coal were
produced. Slightly more than half of the brown coal output was
from Lower Austria and the remainder was from Burgenland, while all
the bituminous coal was produced 'in Lower Austria. 6/ Production for
1937 and for 1946-53 is summarized in Table 1.
Soviet Zone of Austria:
Gross Production and Availability of Coal
1937 and 1946-53 a/
Thousand Metric Tons
1937
1946
1947
1948
1949
1950
1951
1952
1953
Gross Production
230
loo
164
166
170
176
190
185
160
Availability
219
95
155
158
161
167
180
175
152
Brown Coal
Gross Production
335
51
84
116
242
408
523
450
401
Availability b/
301
46
75
105
218
367
471
405
361
Total Gross
Production
565
151
248
282
412
584
713
635
561
Total Availability b
520
141
230
263
379
534
651
580
513
Total HCE
Distribution c/
370
118
193
210
270
350
416
378
332
a. From Appendix A, Table 17.
b. Net available after mine use of 5 percent for "hard" coal and 10 percent
for brown coal.
c. Hard coal equivalent (HCE) indicates that 1 ton of "hard" coal (anthra-
cite or bituminous) equals 1 ton of coke or 1 ton of fuel briquettes or 2
tons of brown coal or 2 tons of brown coal briquettes.
* Gross production is total original production without deduction for
use at the mines.
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2. Trends.
In the decade preceding World War II, bituminous coal
production was relatively stable, averaging more than 200,000 tons a
year and reaching a peak of 260,000 tons in 1935. 7/ Initial re-
covery from the effects of World War II was fairly rapid. By 1947,
production was about 70 percent of that of 1937, suggesting that
the Gruenbach properties emerged relatively unscathed from, World
War II -- a fact which accounts for their seizure by the Russians.
After 1947, zonal production increased at a much lower rate,
reaching a peak of 190,000*tons in 1951. Output in 1952 decreased
slightly, while in 1953 it is estimated as 13.5 percent less than
in 1952.*- Several factors may account for the decline, the chief
one probably being overexploitation and underdevelopment during
and following World War II. Other factors are deterioration of plant
and equipment, increased availability of indigenous brown coal, and
much larger supplies of domestic fuel oil from sources controlled by
the USSR. For the future the outlook is not promising; the pre-
ceding factors plus the meager reserves and difficult mining con-
ditions at Gruenbach preclude any startling increases of output.
On the contrary, if present conditions and trends continue, it will
be surprising if bituminous coal output does not decline further.
For brown coal the 1929 production of 690,000 tons 8/
probably is the historic peak for the area which is now the Soviet
Zone, as in 1937 it was only 335,000 tons. The exhaustion of
deposits and the dislocations of World War II crippled production --
in 1946 it was a scant 51,000 tons. From that level, production
increased slowly to a new high of 523,000 tons in 1951, and then
ebbed to approximately 400,000 tons in 1953.* The most important
factor in the increase of output after World War II was the develop-
ment of a strippable deposit at Langau in Lower Austria. Commencing
with 1,000 tons in 1948, annual outputs at Langau of 55,000, 140,000,
and 236,000 tons were reached in 1949, 1950, and 1951, respectively. 9/
The decline in production since 1951 for the Soviet Zone as a whole
is attributed to the smaller zonal demand for brown coal resulting
from the increased use. of oil. In addition, reserves are being worked
out in some mines and are exhausted in others. The trend of production
is mainly dependent on demand, which will reflect both the general
economic trend and the amount of oil and gas released by the USSR to
the Austrian domestic market. It is estimated that the future level
of production will approximate the 1953 level.
Gross production, before use at mines.
See Appendix A, Table 17.
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3. Imports and Exports.
In order to estimate the amount of coal, coke, and fuel
briquettes imported by the Soviet Zone, the total distribution of
these fuels in the zone was estimated and the total production sub-
tracted from it. The residual balance is derived total imports of
the Soviet Zone on a "hard" coal equivalent (HCE) basis. Table 2
shows the estimated imports of solid fuels that were required.
Soviet Zone of Austria: Estimated Total Production, Imports,
and Distribution of Coal, Coke, and Fuel Briquettes
19J8-53
1948
1949
1950
1951
1952
1953
Production a/
Bituminous Coal
158
161
167
180
175
152
Brown Coal
52
109
183
235
203
180
Coke
302
357
405
350
322
321
Fuel Briquettes b/
N.A.
27
44
77
32
N.A.
Total Production
5'12
65i.
799
842
732
653
Imports c/
2,427
2,429
2,295
2,256
1,906
1,931
Distribution d/
2,939
3,083
3,094
3,098
2,638
2,584
a. Net available after use or stocking at mine or plant, 5 percent
for "hard" coal, 10 percent for brown coal. See Appendix A, Table 17.
b. Briquettes only from "hard" (anthracite or bituminous) coal.
c. Coal from which coke and fuel briquettes are produced is included
in imports. This semi-inflation does not materially affect the over-
all conclusions.
d. See Appendix Al Table 18.
The decrease of about 20 percent in estimated imports from
1948 to 1953 is significant and is the result of the lowering of demand
because of Soviet releases of Austrian oil and natural gas, and the
increased production of coal.
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Figure 2
ORIGIN OF COAL, COKE, AND FUEL BRIQUETTES
DISTRIBUTED IN THE SOVIET ZONE OF AUSTRIA*
1948
1953
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A rough estimate of coal imported into the Soviet Zone
in the months April through September 1952 is based on two reports 10/
showing distribution of imported coal by consumer categories for all
of Austria. Estimated on the basis of the proportionate share of
consumption of the Soviet Zone, imports of "hard" coal to the Soviet
Zone were as follows: 175,000 tons from West Germany, 93,000 tons
from Czechoslovakia, and 20,000 tons from Poland. In addition, West
Germany furnished 160,000 tons of brown coal briquettes and Poland
14,000 tons, while Czechoslovakia supplied 47,000 tons of brown coal.
These estimates are made by applying percentage factors from Appendix
A, Table 18.
Fluctuations in both the amounts and origins of coal im-
ported since World War II are so great that no estimates can be made
other than those above. A general conclusion is that most of the
Soviet Zone imports are of non-Austrian "hard" coals and are de-
creasing with time. The Soviet Zone is more self-sufficient in
brown coal, although in 1952 it was reported reliably that some
90,000 tons of brown coal briquettes entered Austria illegally through
Soviet channels. 11/ These briquettes are preferred by householders.
There is no indigenous production of them. Except for some non-
metallurgical coke passing from the Western Zones into the Soviet
Zone, traffic between the two zones is minor. No exports from the
Soviet Zone are known.
4. Stocks.
Statistical data on stocks in Austria are limited to re-
ports that combine "hard" coal and coke-. It is not probable that much
indigenous brown coal is stocked, because of such storage problems
as spontaneous combustion and deterioration. If stocks in the Soviet
Zone by consumer category are proportionate to each category's share
of reliably reported national distribution, they can be estimated as
shown in Table 3.* The figures in Table 3 should not be construed as
actual tonnage, however, but rather as general indicators. The
figures for gas plants may include both charging coal and coke in
stock at the plant, whereas railroad, electric power, and industry
stock are probably almost entirely coal. Stocks on 31 December 1952
in these four categories of consumers totaled about 40 days' supply
at the daily rate of distribution in 1952.
Table 3 follows on p. 10.
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Table 3
Soviet Zone of Austria: Stocks of "Hard" Coal and Coke
by Major Consumer Categories
1950-52 J
Consumer Category
Date
1950
1951
1952
Railroads
31
January
39
20
78
31
December
22
56
62
Gas Plants
31
January
66
29
96
31 December
34
101
51
Electric Power
31 January
49
19
32
31 December
25
32
26
Other Industries
31 January
84
64
53
31 December
65
50
38
Total
31 January
238
132
259
31 December
146
239
177
a. Total Austrian stocks from 12/ Calculated by applying
factors from Appendix A, Table 15.
D. Consumption and Distribution.
Consumption data as such are not reported in over-all sta-
tistics on coal in Austria. Instead, the common practice is to report
the distribution of coal to the user. Statistical material is sim-
plified by showing distribution on an BCE basis, thus combining "hard"
coal, brown coal, coke, and fuel briquettes in one aggregate. A
slight distortion from true consumption figures results from the fact
that the same set of over-all data includes deliveries of coal to a gas
plant and deliveries of coke produced from that same coal to other
users, thus inflating the total deliveries. This inflation is miti-
gated, however, by the fact that electric power plants and railroads
actually use very little coke. Practically all of the coke is dis-
tributed to the household and industry categories. The coke used by
gas plants does not enter into distribution data, as it is internal
plant consumption of the plant's own product. The inflation (dis-
tortion) of distribution due to coke inclusion varies from 10 to
15 percent of over-all distribution.
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Distribution data for total indigenous bituminous coal in
all Austria can be used for the Soviet Zone, as it is practically the
only zone producing bituminous coal. These data, which are shown in
Table 4, are not distorted, because of the exclusion of coke.
Table 4
Soviet Zone of Austria: Distribution of Indigenous Bituminous Coal
by Consumer Categories
1937 and 1948-53 a/
Consumer
Category
1937
1948
1949
1950
1951 b/
1952 b/
1953
Railroads
Negligible
3
5
8
7
7
6
Electric
Power
39
23
27
19
20
20
18
Other
Industries
135
126
124
137
150
145
125
Domestic 45 6 5 3 3 3 3
Total 219 158 161 167 180 175 152
a. Calculated percentages from !3J. Applied to "available" coal from
Appendix A, Table 17.
b. Extrapolated from preceding annual figures.
Imported "hard" coal is distributed chiefly among railroads,
gas plants, and industry, with Czechoslovak coal especially preferred
for gas plants. One definite trend is perceptible -- the decreased
use of "hard" coal for electric power generation in the Soviet Zone.
The demand for brown coal for power generation is apparently more stable.
The increasing use of oil and natural gas and the declining use of "hard"
coal for electric power in the Soviet Zone are shown in Table 5.*
Table 5 shows that the proportion of "hard" coal used for
electric power generation declined drastically from 1948 to 1951 --
about 90 percent -- while the use of oil and natural gas increased
Table 5 follows on p. 12.
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Table 5
Soviet Zone of Austria: Percent of Electric Power
Produced by Types of Fuel
1948,
1950, and 1951
Type of Fuel Used
1948 a/
1950
1951 c/
"Hard" Coal
54
20
6
Brown Coal
27
31
26
Oil and Natural Gas
19
49
68
a. 1
b. 5/.
c. iT/.
almost 258 percent. Consumption of brown coal remained fairly uni-
form, however. Other consumer categories were estimated and are shown
in Table 6.*
E. Reserves and Quality.
The Soviet Zone of Austria is deficient both in quality and
quantity of coal reserves. The best bituminous coal at Gruenbach is
noncoking coal. Although it is the only significant bituminous coal
reserve in all Austria, it amounted to only 1.8 million tons of re-
serves in 1948. 17/ West of Gruenbach the Gresten strata of Jurassic
age and the Lunzer strata of Triassic age parallel each other and
contain thin seams which thicken locally and permit small mines to
operate until each pocket is exhausted. Because of their intermittent
nature, no estimate of reserves is known. 18/
Only five of the operating brown coal mines have been reported
as possessing reserves, and these are rather scanty. The best in
quality, the Statzendorf basin of Miocene age, is about 50 kilometers
west of Vienna and had reserves of 10 million tons in 1937. 19/ The
Langau mine is a small deposit of 3 million tons near Geras and the
Czechoslovak border. 20/ The Grillenberg basin near Berndorf is about
70 kilometers southeast of Vienna and had reserves of 1 million tons in
1937. 21/ The Neusiedl mine in Lower Austria and the Neufeld a.L. mine
* Table --& follows on p. 13.
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Table 6
Soviet Zone of Austria:
Estimated Distribution of Solid Fuels
by Major Consumer Categories, HCE Basis
1948-53 a/
Thousand Metric Tons HCE
Consumer Category
1948 b/
1949 b/
1950 b/
1951'2/
1952 a/
1953 e/
Railroads
489
497
498
519
482
425
Gas Plants f/
692
569
576
562
398
504
Electric Power g/
146
207
114
112
111
103
other Industries
783
919
926
848
621
640
Domestic h/
720
858
903
986
958
880
Occupation Forces
log
33
77
71
68
32
Total 2,939 3,083 3,094 3,098 2,638 2,584
a. Includes indigenous and imported coal, coke, and fuel briquettes.
b. Excluding consumer categories with footnotes, estimates are based on
22/ and on CIA estimate, early 1952.
C. Excluding consumer categories with footnotes, estimates are based on
percentage factors from Appendix A, Table 18, applied to detailed coal
distribution lists in 23/.
d. Same factors also applied for 1952 to data in 24/.
e. Excluding footnoted consumer categories, estimates are based on
percentage factors from Appendix A, Table 18, applied to sum of
monthly detailed coal distribution lists, January to July and
October to December, 25/ plus August 1953 tonnages from 26/. Tonnage
totals for 11 months expanded to full year by estimation.
f. From Appendix A, Table 21.
g. Fluctuates, depending on varying amounts of hydroelectric power
generated outside the Soviet Zone and amounts of oil and gas used in
the Soviet Zone. Estimated on the basis of the ratio of electric
power generated from coal in the Soviet Zone to total electric power
from coal in all Austria. Ratios applied to total coal distributed
for power in Austria. Ratios from 27/ used as 100 percent base.
1952 and 1953 extrapolated from 1951.
h. Includes small industries.
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in Burgenland are both believed to. be exploiting this deposit. The
Tauchen deposit in Burgenland is in a basin about 120 kilometers
south of Vienna. In 1953 it had reported reserves of 7 million
tons. 28
/
ZZ/
Available data on coal reserves in the Soviet Zone of Austria
are summarized in Table 7.
Table 7
Soviet Zone of Austria: Coal Reserves
1948 a/
Province and Deposit Type of Coal
Reserves
Lower Austria
Gruenbach
Bituminous
1.8
Gresten
Bituminous
Negligible
Lunzer
Bituminous
Negligible
Statzendorf
Brown
10.0
Zillingdorf
b/
Brown
116.0
Langau
Brown
3.0
Neusiedl c/
Brown
0.5
Burgenland
Tauchen
Brown
7.0
Neufeld a.L. c/
Brown
0.5
Bituminous
1.8
Brown
137.0
Bituminous and
and Brown 138.8
a. Summary of Appendix A, Table 19.
b. Not in operation.
c. Both the Neus'iedl deposit and the Neufeld a.L.
mines are believed to be operating in the Grillen-
berg deposit.
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In general, the reserves of bituminous coal at Gruenbach are
relatively low in ash (5 percent) and sulfur (0.7 percent), somewhat
low in volatile matter (21 percent), relatively high in moisture
(8 percent), and have a heat value of 6,000 kilocalories per kilo-
gram (Cals/kg). They are considered by US standards to be less than
average grade steam coal.
The quality of the more important brown coal reserves is low
and is only slightly better than the general run of the East German
brown coals. The available analytical data indicate an ash content
between 8 and 19 percent, sulfur between 1.0 and 3.9 percent,
moisture about 30 percent, and heat values at 2 general levels of
3,000 or 4,300 kilocalories per kilogram. More specific analytical
information is contained in Appendix A, Table 19.
F. Technology.
The small size of deposits, the location, and the physical
conditions of occurrence of the coal beds pose difficult problems in
mining operations. In general, these factors have prevented the
development of a modern mining technology and have held operations at
a relatively primitive level, as indicated by the low productivity.
Some of the major difficulties and brief descriptions of the tech-
nology used to solve partially the problems are pointed out in the
following descriptions.
At the Gruenbach mine there are about 12 seams that are
severely folded and faulted. Vertical shafts are sunk about 500
meters deep, and crosscuts are driven to the beds. The coal is mined
by stoping in steeply pitching seams and by the room-and-pillar
system in the flatter beds. Before World War II, the raw coal was
processed in a washing and screening plant and some of the fines
were made into briquettes. Fines are a problem because of the brec-
ciation of the coal. 29/ Coal cutters were in use in 1948. 30/
At the Statzendorf mine the room-and-pillar system is used
with partial backfilling by gobbing a clay parting. Longwall
methods have been tried but were found to be impractical because of
irregular breaks in the roof. The immediate roof is clay slate,
with sand above the clay slate. The sand contains occasional water
pockets that are somewhat hazardous. The roof ahead of the working
face is drilled about 6 meters to drain the water. About 6 cubic
meters of water per ton of coal are pumped out. However, as the
average depth is only 65 meters, drainage is not too expensive. 31/
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At the Tauchen brown coal mine in Burgenland the two seams
are mined via a slope which is connected by a 5-kilometer cableway
to the main railroad line. 32/ In 1953 a new shaft was being sunk
to raise production to 200,000 tons a year. 33/ The Neusiedl mine
is believed to be operating in the Grillenberg deposit near Berndorf.
A shaft in the center of the basin has been reported. The coal is
reported 1 to 2.8 meters thick, extends over an area of 500,000
square meters, is almost flat, and is 10 to 20 meters below the sur-
face of the ground. 34/ The Neufeld a.L. mine, in this vicinity,
is reported to be a strip mine 35/ and is believed to be working
the Grillenberg coal where the cover is shallow.
The Langau mine near the Czechoslovak border is a deposit
about 6 to 10 feet thick, 12 to 54 feet below the surface, and has
an area of 240 acres. The deposit is worked by stripping, and pro-
duction began in October 1948. Acquisition and complete equipment
cost about 12 million schillings, 11 million of which were ERP-
Counterpart funds furnished in 1948 and 1949.* An electrified cable-
way carries the coal 2 kilometers to the main railroad line from
Retz to Langau. 37/
As derived from the latest available data in Appendix A,
Table 20, there were 2,541 employees in coal mining in 1952. Of
these, 150 were classed as office employees and the remainder pre-
sumably were employed in actual mining, transporting, cleaning of
coal, maintenance of plants, and other necessary tasks.
The generally pr'.,ltive state of mining operations may be
gaged by the low productivity of 0.4-9 tons per man-shift at the
Gruenbach mine in 1951. In the underground brown coal mines pro-
ductivity is higher, as exemplified by the rate of 0.95 tons per
man-shift at Tauchen mine in 1951. As expected, producitivity is
highest at brown coal strip mines; it attained a maximum for the
country of 3.36 tons per man-shift at the Langau mine in 1951.
These productivity rates are extremely low compared with similar
undergound rates of 1.48 tons per man-shift in West Germany, 1.61
tons per man-shift in the UK, 38/ and a strip-mine rate of 15.21
tons in the US. 39/
* Official rate as of November 1949, 26 schillings = US $l; black
market rate, 30 to 32 schillings - US $1. 36/
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In 1935, earnings at the Gruenbach mine were reported LO/ as
follows: skilled workers, 0.87 schillings per hour; semi-skilled
workers, 0.85 schillings per hour; and unskilled workers, 0.72
schillings per hour.* In October 1949, miners recruited from other
sections of Austria were employed at the Langau mine at a wage rate
of 40 to 45 schillings per 8-hour shift.
All coke produced in the Soviet Zone of Austria is a byproduct
from the production of coal gas manufactured for municipal and
industrial uses. A very small proportion of the total production
(about 5 percent 41/) is blast-furnace or metallurgical-grade coke.
Output of coke loosely parallels the production of coal gas in the
Soviet Zone. Since 1949, coke production has decreased as larger sup-
plies of natural gas were made available. Postwar production did not
attain prewar levels, as shown in Table 8, which is summarized from
Appendix A, Table 21.
Table 8
Soviet Zone of Austria: Gross Production
and Distribution of Coke
1937 and 1948-53
Year
Gross Production
Distribution
1937
549
415
1948
327
302
1949
499
357
1950
495
405
1951
394
350
1952
389
322
1953
384
321
a. Available after use or stocking at plants.
Official rate as of 1935, one Schilling = US
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The Vienna Gasworks produces by far the greatest part of the
total coke produced in the Soviet Zone. The available plant infor-
mation on the Vienna Gasworks and the other producing plants is
given in Section VI, below.
Since 1948, gas-manufacturing plants themselves have required
from 8 to 31 percent of the total coke they produce. This require-
ment may be correlated with coal supplies. In times of short coal
supply to the gasworks, a larger part of the coke production may be
used by the gas-manufacturing plants. The small part of the coke
that is of metallurgical grade probably is supplied to foundries.
The balance of the coke production apparently is distributed for
industrial and household use.
There are no blast furnaces in the Soviet Zone of Austria, and
consequently there is no major requirement of metallurgical coke.
Coke. requirements are met chiefly by coke from the Vienna Gasworks.
Some domestic coke (too small in size for metallurgical use) is
probably imported from the Western zones. It is estimated that in
1952 about 13 percent of the coke imported into Austria went to the
Soviet Zone for industrial and household use. The same data indicate
that about 86 percent of this non-Austrian coke was imported from.
West Germany., and most of the balance from Czechoslovakia. 42/
IV. Fuel Briquettes.
Production of fuel briquettes from imported and domestic coal 43/
in Austria has been reported since 1949. It is believed that all
briquette production is in the Soviet Zone -- in Vienna at the
Vienna Gasworks, and possibly at the Gruenbach mine. 44/ The bri-
quettes apparently are made from "hard" coal fines and possibly also
from coke fines. No production of brown coal briquettes has been
reported.
The use of "hard" coal fuel briquettes is probably limited to
household heating purposes, mainly in the Vienna area. Most of the
production is from degradation fines of imported "hard" coal and
fluctuates directly with the amount of fines available. Some "hard"
coal briquettes are imported occasionally but are grouped with
"hard" coal in distribution data. It is believed that there is no
appreciable demand specifically for "hard" coal briquettes as such.;
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they merely supplement "hard" coal. Imports from non-Austrian sources
are insignificant -- practically all of the "hard" coal fuel bri-
quettes distributed in the Soviet Zone are produced locally. Data
on production and the distribution of this Soviet Zone production are
listed in Table 9.
Soviet Zone of Austria: Gross Production and Distribution
of Fuel Briquettes
1949-52 a/
1949 1950 1951 1952
Gross Production 28 46 80 51
Distribution b/ 27 44 77 32
a. See Appendix A, Table 17.
b. Available after use or stocking at plants.
V. Fuelwood.
After World War II the annual productive potential of all kinds
of wood from Austrian forests was estimated at 7.1 million cubic
meters per year, in comparison with the prewar potential of
9,523,000 cubic meters per year. Heavy overcutting and the cessa-
tion of reforestation during World War II caused this decrease in
potential. The postwar estimate is based on accessible timbered
areas and disallows substantial local farm use.
In a similar trend the stands of timber in the Soviet Zone of
Austria decreased from 1,086,000 hectares in area in prewar years 45/
to 800,000 hectares after World War II. 46/ The annual growth of
fuelwood in the Soviet Zone also decreased from 1.8 million cubic
meters to an estimated 1,350,000 cubic meters in the same period. 47/
The situation did not improve after World War II. The coal shortage
was so serious in the winter of 1945-46 that large amounts of wood
for use as fuelwood were shipped from the US Zone into Vienna. Even
industrial wood was used an fuelwood in the winter of 1946-47, while
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in the summer of 1947 an emergency plan was put into effect. Under
this plan a semibarter agreement existed between the paper industry
and city dwellers. The city people cut wood of industrial quality
for use in the paper industry. They were paid for this work in coal
imported by the paper industry. In the last months of 1947, however,
pulp wood again had to be diverted to fuel uses. 48/ This trend
has persisted as total fuelwood cutting exceeded fuelwood growth in
1951 and 1952 (as shown in Table 10).
In comparison with an average annual increment of growth of
about 3.0 cubic meters per hectare in the Soviet Zone 49/ the figures
in Table 10 indicate an excessive rate of logging in recent years.
a . 50/.
__
b. Solid wood in the round, excluding bark.
Austrian statistics do not distinguish between the Western and
Soviet-controlled parts of the province of Upper Austria; consequently
in the data presented below all fuelwood produced in Upper Austria is
considered as originating in the Soviet Zone. No data on consumption
or distribution by provinces were found. It is believed, however, that
the Vienna district still consumes more fuelwood than it produces,
thus somewhat offsetting production from that part of Upper Austria
that is in the Western zone. Hence production is assumed to equal
consumption in Table ll.*
* Table it follows on p. 21.
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Soviet Zone of Austria: Logging Per Hectare of Forestland
1935, 1946-52 Average, and 1951-52 a/
Cubic Meters b/
Province
1935
1946-52 Average
1951
1952
Vienna and Lower Austria
2.8
2.7
2.8
2.6
Burgenland
5.4
2.4
3.3
3.5
Upper Austria
3.3
3.9
4.2
3.7
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Table 11
od
lw
f F
ue
o
Soviet Zone of Austria: Estimated Consumption o
1948/1+9, 194950, and 1951-53
Cubic Meters a/
1948/49 b/ c/
1949/50 b/ d/
1951 e
1952 f/
1953 g/
Forest Owners'
Use
N.A.
N.A.
N.A.
789,636
778,871
Available for
Sale
789,589
651,949
717,586
675,407
690,855
Miscellaneous
N.A.
N.A.
N.A.
49,168
55,366
A
N
N.A.
1,514,211
1,525,092
Total
.
.
a. Solid wood in the round, excluding bark.
b. By forest-year, 1 April to 31 March.
c. 51/.
d. 52/.
e. 53/.
f. 5+/.
g. 55/.
VI. Coal Gas.
A. General.
Gas is manufactured from imported "hard" coal and some domestic
coal in 7 municipal plants and at 6 industrial plants in the Soviet
Zone of Austria. A seventh industrial plant is reported as using coal
gas, but whether it is produced at the plant is not known. The six
industrial plants with gas generators probably use domestic brown
coal, but their production is not reported in national statistics,
being consumed entirely within the respective plants. Output from the
municipal plants in the Soviet Zone constitutes about 90 percent of the
entire national output, due to the large size of the Vienna Gasworks.
Excluding the Vienna plant, all other Soviet Zone municipal plants
are located in towns in the province of Lower Austria.
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The Vienna Gasworks is really 2 separate plants, although it
is considered as 1 unit in this report. It has been modernized
since World War II. In some of the smaller provincial gas plants
the dependence on imported coal has been decreased by replacement of
the old chamber-stoves (ovens) with new double-way gas generators
that can use indigenous brown coal. / The extent of this modern-
ization of smaller plants is not known, but presumably some renova-
tion of the plants in the Soviet Zone has occurred.
The old shaft generators had an efficiency rate of 60 to 70
percent. The new Schwelgasgenerator (distillation gas generator) was
developed in Austria and has a thermal efficiency of 90 percent based
on gas and tar. The process is basically a slow gasification at low
temperature (500?C) in the upper Schwelretorte (distillation retort)
part of the generator before ordinary gasification starts. Temper-
atures are kept low, permitting separation of anhydrous tar and tar-
oil. Although better adapted to bituminous coal, brown coal with
30 percent moisture has been utilized. Average generator gas con-
tains around 1,650 kilocalories/cu m and valuable byproduct tars and
oils are recovered. 57/
The Vienna Gasworks uses imported bituminous coal that is
coked in high temperature ovens 58/ and the byproducts recovered. 59/
The ovens were of the high-temper
1-5
ature horizontal-chamber type. 60T
These ovens are still used, as appreciable quantities of byproducts
and coke are produced. Most of the coke is used locally, but when
coal is in short supply some of it is used to generate water gas,
which is mixed with the gas from coke ovens. Since 1944, natural gas
from Aderklaa and Neusiedl_also is blended with gas from coke ovens
and with water gas, and the gas mixture may be further enriched by
carburizing (spraying with hot liquid light oils), bringing the
calorific content up to the desired 4,100 kilocalories/cu m (460 Btu
per cu ft). 61/ The source of heat for the coke ovens is not known;
it is possible that there are supplementary gas producers using
brown coal or coke.
The remaining municipal plants are all small, and no descriptions
of their individual processes are available. Presumably they also
include some coke ovens, as they are partially dependent on imported
coal. Propane or natural gas is reported in 1952 as being blended
with the coal gas manufactured at three of the plants outside Vienna. 62/
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B. Production and Consumption.
Some of the statistics on gas production are indeterminate
in that the figures may include noncoal gases as mentioned above.
Furthermore, where gas from coal is reported it includes both gas
from coke ovens and water gas. Examples of this situation are shown
in Table 12, in the low coke yields and high gas output per ton of
coal at Vienna, thus indicating the use of coke to make water gas or
the replacement of coke ovens by newer generators with higher rates
of gasification.
Vienna Gasworks: Input-Output Data
Selected Years 1937-51
Year
Coal Input
(MT)
Gas Produced a/
(Cu M)
MT
Percent
of
Coal
Gas Output
(Cu M per MT
of Coal)
1937 b/
700,000
322,000,000
410,000
58.6
460
1948 c/
616,000
338,000,000
299,000
49.0
550
1950 b/
6oo,ooo
4o6,000,000
397,000
66.2
675
1951 b/
490,000 d/
353,000,000
352,000 e/
71.8
720
a. Probably both gas from coke ovens and water gas, average heat
content of 2,400 kilocalories per kilogram or 268 Btu per cu ft.
b. 63/-
C. ;+/.
d. Calculated from available coke.
e. Conflicts with Appendix A. Table 21; difference probably includes
sales from stocks at plant.
The only year in which detailed data were available for all
municipal gas plants in the Soviet Zone was 1952. In that year, pro-
duction of gas from coal (presumably all kinds: gas from coke ovens,
water gas, and gas from generators) and other gas blended with coal
gas is shown in Table 13.*
* Table 13 follows on p. 24.
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S -E -C -R -E -T
Soviet Zone of Austria: Municipal Gas Production by Towns 65/
1952
Noncoal Gas Blended
Gas from Coal
(Cu M)
Cu M
Type
Total
Vienna
Vienna
288,51+2,938
57,695,870
Natural
346,238,808
Lower Austria
Baden
2,036,100
342,110
Propane
2,378,210
Krems an der Donau
1,153,530
6,220
Propane
1,159,750
Mistelbach
16,344
826,820
Natural
843,164
St. Poelten
1,930,602
0
1,930,602
Stockerau
621,530
0
621,530
Wiener-Neustadt
3,016,700
0
3,016,700
297,317,744
58,871,020
356,188,764
Total gas distributed by municipal plants in the Soviet Zone
of Austria is shown in Table 14.* This probably includes both coal
and noncoal gas since 1944, and was estimated for the plants outside
Vienna by the ratio of their 1952 output to that of other municipal
plants in the Western zones.
Gas producers, presumably using brown coal, are reported at
the captive industrial gas plants in the Soviet Zone listed below.
Production, which is not known, is all used within these plants. The
plants, 5 in Lower Austria.and 1 in Vienna, are as follows 66/:
Schoeller-Bleckman
Stoelze Glasindustrie A.G.
St. Egydyer Eisen-und-Stahl
Industrie Ges.
Fried. v. Neuman
Staussziegel-Industrie A.G.
Wienberger Ziegelfabriks und
Bauges
Table 1 follows on p. 25.
Ternitz, Lower Austria
Altnagelburg, Lower Austria
St. Aegyd am Neuwalde, Lower
Austria
Marktl im Traisental, Lower Austria
St. Poelten, Lower Austria
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Table 14
Soviet Zone of Austria: Municipal Gas Distribution a/
Selected Years 1925-52
Year
Vienna Gasworks
Other Plants b/
Totals
1925
253
5
258
1934
263
9
272
1937
322 c/
6
328
1944
387
6
393
1945
80
3
83
1946
244
6
250
1947
265
5
270
1948
368
12
380
1950 c/
406 d/
N.A.
N.A.
1951 c/
353 d/
N.A.
N.A.
1952 e/
346 -
10
356
a. 677.
b. Estimated, see preceding text.
c. 68/.
d. Coal gas only.
e. 69/.
Few data were available on the consumption or distribution
patterns of coal gas, although one source stated that there were
about 1,690,000 people using gas in Vienna. Output per year in-
creased from 138 cubic meters per inhabitant in Vienna in 1937 to
194 cubic meters in 1948. 70/ In 1935, roughly 91 percent of the
gas produced at municipal plants was sold, 3 percent was used for
public lighting, 1 percent was used at the plant, and 5 percent was
lost in distribution. 71/ Since that year, electricity may have
displaced some of the gas used for public lighting. Captive indus-
trial plants probably consume their entire output.
S -E -C -R-E -T
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S-E-C-R-E-T
Some trends in the retail and wholesale prices of solid fuels
and gas in Vienna are shown in Tables 15 and 16.* As shown, the re-
tail price of gas increased less from 1937 to 1953 than the general
average of all prices, while the retail prices of fuelwood and coal
exceeded it. In the wholesale market) only brown coal prices in-
creased less from 1937 to 1953 than the general average of all whole-
sale.prices; .imported "hard" coal, Vienna coke, and fuelwood exceeded
the average rise.
Soviet Zone of Austria: Vienna, Average Annual Retail Prices
of Solid Fuels and Gas, and General Price Index
1937 and 191+8-53
1937 a/
191+8/
1949 b/
1950 b/
1951--a/
1952 a/
1953 of 1/
Gas (per Cubic Meter)
0.22
0.35
0.51
0.56
0.71
0.93
0.93
Fuelwood (per Kilogram)
0.08
0.32
0.32
0.32
0.48
0.56
0.55
Coal (per Kilogram)
0.11
0.30
0.38
0.51
0.81
0.89
0.86
General Price Index
100
355
404
462
589
669
. 663
a. 727.
b. 73/.
c. 77/.
d. January to October only.
In the field of international trade the prices paid for coal
imported into Austria and the Soviet Zone are so variable that
averages are not very meaningful. This condition is due to the poli-
cies of the usual coal suppliers, the over-all supply situation out-
side Austria, the quality of the coals, existing trade agreements,
and politics. Major solid fuel imports for all Austria for 1952 and
1953 are shown in Appendix A, Table 22, by country of origin, with
a calculated average value per ton.
* Table 16 follows on p. 27.
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a. 75/.
b. 77/.
c. January to October only.
d. Upper Silesian Nut No. 1, f.o.b. loading chute Vienna.
e. Domestic raw lump.
f. Vienna coke.
g? 77/.
VIII. Capabilities, Vulnerabilities, and Intentions.
A. Capabilities.
It is considered unlikely that the production of bituminous coal
in the Soviet Zone of Austria can be increased much beyond 200,000
tons a year. Inherent limitations include lack of reserves, quality
deficiencies, and probably the high cost of mining. Production of
brown coal also has reached a peak in the Soviet Zone and probably
meets the domestic demand. When the strippable deposits are exhausted,
it is probable that the Soviet Zone will be supplied from the Western
zones. Production of coal gas, coke, and fuelwood likewise will show
decreasing capabilities, assuming that oil and natural gas continue
to be available as at present. Reserves of oil and gas are considered
sufficient to sustain present production for 3 to 4 years; after that,
additional or more intensive development may be necessary.
S -E -C -R -E -T
1937 a/
1948 9./
1949 21/
1950 2/
1951 1/
1952 2/
1953 a/ c/
"Hard" Coal d/
8.56
23.3
31.3
43.5
72.6
78.2
72
6
Brown Coal e7
5.5
13.9
18.8
18.6
29.3
34.6
.
35.9
Coke
8.8
34.2
35.8
41.2
83.2
102.9
103.3
Fuelwood
5.9 b/
25.2
25.2
26.8 b/
43.4 g/
49.6 g/
47.5 j/
100
313
403
553
744
827
780
of Austria: Vienna, Average Annual Wholesale Prices
of Solid Fuels, and General Price Index
1937 and 1948-53
Schillings per 100 Kilograms
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 Approved For Release 1999/09/02 : CIA-RDP79-01093A000500180001-4
S-E-C-R-E-T
B. Vulnerabilities.
The main vulnerability of the Soviet Zone of Austria is an
over-all deficiency in indigenous production of coal. This vulner-
ability is lessening with the increasing substitution of oil and
natural gas as fuel. From 1948 to 1953, annual imports of solid
fuels decreased approximately 496,000 tons HCE, while in the same
period indigenous net coal production only rose about 122,000 tons
BCE, indicating roughly that oil and natural gas displaced solid
fuels to the extent of at least 374,000 tons BCE. Both oil and
natural gas are under the control of the USSR. If the present sup-
ply of oil and natural gas should be cut off, the inadequacy of the
supply of solid fuels would soon be apparent. With respect to coal
imports, interruptions in transportation or stoppages at origin could
have the most serious consequences.
C. Intentions.
No definite intentions or plans for solid fuels in the Soviet
Zone of Austria have been announced, probably because of the separate
interests of the Soviet occupation forces and the Austrian government.
An additional influence is the low quality and scarcity of reserves
of solid fuels in the Soviet Zone. Some general deductions may be
made as follows: The USSR is content at present to milk the Austrian
economy as much as possible through its USIA enterprises. At times.
Soviet policy may happen to benefit Austria and thus coincide with the
aims of the Austrian government. Such is the case in the release of
natural gas to the Vienna Gasworks, reducing the dependence on im-
ported "hard" } coal. No evidence has been found that the USSR is
contemplating an expansion of its segment of the coal industry. On
the contrary, production from the USIA Gruenbach mine has actually
declined, despite reserves which could be exploited to a greater
extent with a development plan and new equipment. It is possible that
the USSR profits more by releasing oil and natural gas for Austrian
use, even if these releases displace coal from USIA mines. The
past practices of the USSR seem to indicate that its over-all aim
is maximum profit at minimum cost.
S-E-C-R-E-T
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 Approved For Release 1999/09/02 : CIA-RDP79-01093A000500180001-4
S -E -C -R -E -T
The Austrian government presumably is interested in reducing
dependence on imported coal by better utilization of indigenous re-
sources. This is shown by the development of the Langau mine in
the Soviet Zone. Self-sufficiency in brown coal is probably the
immediate goal; complete control of mining in the Soviet Zone is a
goal for the future. The first is attainable, the second improb-
able for the present. Future intentions for coal gas and its by-
product, coke, depend on the availability of natural gas.
S -E -C -R -E -T
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 Approved For Release 1999/09/02 : CIA-RDP79-01093A000500180001-4
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 Approved For Release 1999/09/02 : CIA-RDP79-01093A000500180001-4
S-E-C-R-E-T
APPENDIX A
TABLES
S-E-C-R-E-T
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 Approved For Release 1999/09/02 CIA-RDP79-01093A000500180001-4
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 Approved For Release 1999/09/02 : CIA-RDP79-01093A000500180001-4
S-E-C-R-E-T
Table 18
Soviet Zone of Austria: Estimated Average Distribution of Solid Fuels
as Percent of Total Austrian Distribution
by Consumer Categories, HCE Basis
1948-53
Consumer Category
Total Austrian Distribution a/
Railroads
40
Electric Power
20 to 40 b/
Gas Plants
85 c/ -
Food Industry
50
Iron and Steel Industry
6 d/
Mining Industry
2 e/
Chemical Industry
10
Leather Industry
75
Stone and Earth Industry
50
Building Industry
65
Textile Industry
46
Ceramics and Glass Industry
50
Paper and Pulp Industry
22 d/
Wood Industry
25
Domestic f/
6o
Occupation Forces
65
USIA Enterprises
g/
Over-All Soviet Zone 25 to 40
a. Excludes negligible requirements, such as metallurgical coke ovens,
Estimates based on 89/ and on CIA estimate, early 1952.
b. Estimated for each year separately. See Table 6, P.13, and ac-
companying explanation in text, p. 11.
c. Calculated by ratio of coal distributed to gas plants. See
Appendix A, Table 21.
d. See 90/, which confirms noted items from 89/, above, as follows:
89/
9o/
Iron and Steel
Negligible
6
Textile
65
46
Paper and Pulp
25
22
e. Excludes coal mines.
f. Includes small industries.
g. 91/. Estimated at 120,000 MT BCE per year, included in industries.
-34-
S -E -C -R -E -T
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 Approved For Rel
lease 1999/09/02 : CIA-RDP79-01093A000500180001-4
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