Leipzig (dpa/sa) – After the resumption of gas deliveries via the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, the gas importer VNG expressed caution. It is becoming more likely that Germany could get through the winter without a gas shortage, said a spokeswoman for the Leipzig company on Thursday. “The probability of a gas shortage in winter depends not only on Russian gas supplies but also on the temperature profile.” The logic behind this: The colder it is in autumn and winter, the more gas is used for heating. Overall, the situation on the market remains tense, said the spokeswoman.
Companies like VNG continue to face major challenges. “We continue to see our mission as making a contribution to securing supplies and averting damage to our customers and VNG.” Alongside Uniper, VNG is one of the major German gas importers. The companies have the problem that they have to buy additional gas on the market due to lower supplies from Russia in order to be able to serve long-term contracts. These extra purchases are very expensive.
After ten days of maintenance work, gas deliveries through Nord Stream 1 were restarted on Thursday morning. However, only 40 percent of the transport capacities were used.
VNG AG, headquartered in Leipzig, operates four storage facilities in Bad Lauchstädt, Bernburg, Jemgum and Etzel via the storage subsidiary VGS Gasspeicher GmbH. According to the company, these are currently almost 86 percent full. In Bad Lauchstädt and in Bernburg (Salzland district) there are almost 50 underground reservoirs. According to VNG, the so-called cavern storage facilities each have the same volume as Cologne Cathedral.
