Many didn’t think it was possible: Germany’s gas storage facilities are almost completely full. On behalf of the federal government, expensive wholesale purchases are made to provide for the winter. However, the quantities will not be sufficient to cover demand for very long.
Although Russia has turned off the gas tap, Germany’s gas storage facilities are more than 95 percent full. As the website of Europe’s gas infrastructure operators (GIE) showed on Thursday evening, the filling level recently increased by 0.17 points to 95.14 percent. According to a regulation by the Federal Ministry of Economics, the systems must be 95 percent full by November 1st. This value has now been reached overall.
However, the regulation stipulates that every storage facility must comply with this requirement. This is not the case – some plants are significantly higher, others significantly lower. The full gas storage tanks are important so that Germany’s economy, authorities and households get enough energy in the heating season. “The well-filled storage will help us in winter,” said the President of the Federal Network Agency, Klaus Müller.
In terms of quantity, the gas in the storage tanks is sufficient for about two cold winter months. This makes it clear that the storage tanks are far from sufficient for the entire heating period and that additional efforts are necessary. Consumption must drop by at least 20 percent, said Müller. Household consumption data recently made it clear that not enough is being saved.
Sebastian Bleschke from the gas storage association Ines was only cautiously optimistic. “Despite well-stocked gas storage facilities, winter will still be a major challenge.” Imports via new liquid gas terminals on the German coast, which are scheduled to start work at the turn of the year, and imports via existing terminals in other EU countries are immensely important, said the association’s managing director. The storage facilities compensate for fluctuations in gas consumption and thus form a buffer for the gas market.
When the heating season begins in autumn, they are usually well stocked. The filling levels decrease until spring. On cold winter days in recent years, up to 60 percent of gas consumption in Germany has been covered by domestic storage facilities. In the months following the start of the Ukraine war, Russia gradually cut back supplies to Germany.
In German politics there was talk of an “energy war”. The Federal Republic of Germany currently receives gas from Norway, Belgium, the Netherlands and, on a smaller scale, from Switzerland, which sends gas from Italy onwards. Some of the gas comes from other regions of the world and is landed in European terminals to be forwarded to Germany.
