Gas storage at 75 percent: First storage target achieved

Created: 08/14/2022Updated: 08/14/2022 03:59

A gas storage facility in Saxony-Anhalt - the first storage target was reached more than two weeks earlier than required.

© Waltraud Grubitzsch/dpa

In order to avoid bottlenecks in winter, the German gas storage facilities should be as full as possible during the heating period.

A first storage goal has now been reached - but experts warn against too much euphoria.

Brussels/Berlin - Despite the significant reduction in delivery volumes from Russia over the past few weeks, German gas storage facilities are more than 75 percent full again.

According to the latest preliminary data from European gas storage operators on Saturday evening, the level on Friday morning was 75.43 percent.

The first storage target of a new regulation was thus achieved more than two weeks earlier than required.

The fill level is always reported with a delay.

The ordinance stipulates that the German storage facilities must be at least 75 percent full by September 1st.

On October 1st it should be at least 85 percent and on November 1st at least 95 percent.

The storage facilities compensate for fluctuations in gas consumption and thus form a kind of buffer system for the gas market.

Be prepared for total failure

The federal government wants to use various measures to ensure that the gas storage facilities in Germany are almost full at the beginning of the heating period.

Germany should thus be better armed against a total failure of Russian deliveries in winter.

The amount of gas stored at a level of 95 percent corresponds approximately to the nationwide consumption in January and February 2022.

The filling level on Friday morning was about 0.58 percentage points above the previous day's value.

According to the Ines storage association, the currently high levels of storage are made possible primarily by low summer consumption and strong imports from north-west Europe.

According to the Federal Network Agency, gas consumption in Germany up to and including July was almost 14 percent below that of the same period last year.

According to the Federal Association of Energy and Water Industries (BDEW), the main reasons for this are the mild weather and the high level of gas prices.

Russia delivers - yet

Russia is still pumping natural gas to Germany.

For more than two weeks, however, the important Baltic Sea pipeline Nord Stream 1 has only been utilized at around 20 percent.

The Russian gas company blames technical reasons for this, the federal government considers this to be a pretense.

The managing director of the Ines storage association, Sebastian Bleschke, spoke of a “good perspective”, but emphasized that 75 percent was only an interim goal.

"In essence, it's about achieving 95 percent on November 1," he told the German Press Agency.

With normal temperatures in October, the beginning of the heating season will have a strong impact on storage options.

Due to the greatly reduced gas imports, it is therefore possible that this fill level target will be missed.

With normal temperatures and the reduced gas supplies via Nord Stream 1, the stored gas could be used up as early as March or April, Bleschke warned.

“Should Russia stop supplying gas completely, it will be sooner.” According to the association, however, shortages can occur before March.

"Because it can happen that on particularly cold days, the gas withdrawal from the network is so high that the simultaneous gas feed-ins are not sufficient to cover demand."

dpa