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Filled stores: employees of an underground gas storage facility of VNG AG
Photo: Jan Woitas / dpa
According to an industry estimate, Germany's gas storage facilities will be well stocked by the end of this winter.
With a “normal” temperature curve, the storage tanks are 65 percent full at the end of March and the end of April, according to the Energy Storage Initiative (Ines).
That would be significantly more than in 2022. At that time it was 26 percent at the end of March and 35 percent at the end of April.
The filling level is currently around 91 percent.
The reason is the reduced energy consumption and additional imports to compensate for the missing import volumes from Russia.
In the model calculation, it was assumed that the rest of the winter in the EU will develop as in 2016.
Even with extremely low temperatures and other negative events, the association does not expect a gas shortage.
"If the currently strong consumption savings continue, Germany will get through the winter well," said Ines Managing Director Sebastian Bleschke.
The association has 14 member companies that have over 90 percent of the gas storage capacities in Germany.
mamk/dpa-AFX