Gas storage levels after the cold snap – Federal Network Agency: “It must not go on like this”

Created: 12/19/2022 3:32 p.m

By: Lisa Mayerhofer

Despite the current cold spell, the gas storage facilities in Germany are still around 88 percent full.

But Federal Network Agency boss Müller remains concerned.

Berlin – December is more wintry than it has been for years – people have to turn up the heating to keep warm.

But despite the minus temperatures this month, the gas storage facilities in Germany are currently still around 88 percent full.

"This is still a good precaution that Germany has taken," said the head of the Federal Network Agency, Klaus Müller, on Monday on Bayerischer Rundfunk.

Nevertheless, he called on consumers to heat "carefully".

20 percent of gas would have to be saved over the entire winter.

Federal Network Agency boss on gas consumption: "Must not go on like this"

"We don't have to call the alarm after two or three weeks like now," Müller told the

on Monday.

"But it can't go on like this for the whole of January and February."

, Müller also urged

close monitoring of the natural gas infrastructure to prevent acts of sabotage.

"We would do well to monitor critical infrastructure better than we used to." It was "absolutely right" to put a lot of effort into security around terminals for liquefied natural gas.

In addition to extreme cold in Germany or neighboring countries, acts of sabotage are currently the greatest threat to the gas supply.

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Müller: "People will feel the costs of the energy crisis hard"

The winter of the coming year is the even greater challenge, warned Müller.

Germany will have to fill the storage tanks without Russian gas in the summer.

"People will feel the cost of the energy crisis hard."

The fact that the gas price will eventually drop back to the old level, "nobody expects that in the foreseeable future," said the head of the network agency.

Many companies see their future in regenerative hydrogen.

“That changed in November.

At some point there came a moment when the focus was no longer on the crisis but on the future.” All of his authority’s plans are now geared towards 2023 being a year of power grid expansion, expansion of renewable energy and hydrogen.