Curious mark: the filling level of the gas storage tanks is now over 100 percent

Created: 2022-11-15, 2:02 p.m

By: Thomas Schmidtutz

Huntorf gas storage facility: In Germany, the storage facilities are full to bursting at the start of the heating season.

© Hauke-Christian Dittrich/dpa

Right on time for the start of the heating season, the gas storage facilities in Germany are now full to the brim.

Brussels - The filling level of the natural gas storage facilities in Germany is now over the 100 percent mark.

This emerges from the data published on Tuesday by the European gas storage association GIE.

According to this, 245.44 terawatt hours of natural gas are now stored in the storage facilities.

That would be slightly more than the actual storage capacity of 245.39 terawatt hours.

For comparison: In January and February 2022, according to the Federal Network Agency, a total of almost 227 terawatt hours of natural gas were consumed in Germany.

Gas storage stalls on the border

"The working gas volume reported by the gas storage operators indicates the secured capacity," said the President of the Federal Network Agency, Klaus Müller, on Monday evening.

The physical storage possibilities are partly higher, so that some could store more gas.

"That's why it's possible to continue storing beyond 100 percent."

Our free business newsletter provides you with all relevant business news on a regular basis.

Click here for registration. 

When it comes to percentages, the GIE transparency platform AGSI only considers the fill level in relation to the working gas volume.

The reported value therefore reaches a maximum of 100 percent.

At the EU level, too, the reservoirs were well filled on Monday morning: the AGSI side recorded a filling level of 95.6 percent.

In the spring it sounded very different.

At that time, Müller had warned of empty gas storage tanks in winter.

This is no longer the case.

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

They are usually well filled when the heating season begins in autumn.

The filling levels then decrease until spring.

According to the Energy Industry Act, they should still be 40 percent full on February 1st.