Status: 09/20/2022 07:34 a.m
Despite the interrupted Russian deliveries through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, the German gas storage facilities have reached a filling level of 90 percent. Full storage tanks are considered an important element in getting through the winter without having to cut off gas.
Despite stopping gas deliveries from Russia in August, German gas storage facilities are now more than 90 percent full. This is based on data from European storage operators. Accordingly, the memory reached a level of 90.07 percent last Sunday. The information is always reported with a delay.
According to the Federal Minister of Economics, Robert Habeck, Germany has the chance to get through the winter well despite the lack of Russian gas supplies. However, certain conditions would have to be met for this, Habeck said yesterday. In Germany, a lot of energy should be saved and you have to be lucky with the weather. In winter, the gas should be made available from the storage facilities. “But that also means that the storage tanks will be empty again at the end of winter, in this case really empty because we will be using the gas.” Then you have to save again quickly.
The goal is 95 percent by November
For the winter, the federal government aims to have the storage tanks 95 percent full by the beginning of November. This amount of gas roughly corresponds to Germany-wide consumption in the first two months of 2022. The interim targets of 75 percent and 85 percent were reached earlier than planned in mid-August and early September.
The gas storage facilities serve as a buffer for the gas market and are intended to balance out fluctuations in gas consumption. As a rule, they are well filled when the heating period begins in autumn. On particularly cold days in winter, up to 60 percent of the gas consumption is covered from storage.
Gas from Norway, Netherlands, Belgium
In order to better cope with a possible total failure of Russian deliveries in winter, the federal government wants to use various measures to achieve the highest possible levels at the beginning of the heating period. Germany currently receives natural gas via pipelines from Norway, the Netherlands and Belgium. At the turn of the year, the first two terminals for landing liquefied natural gas are to be put into operation on the German North Sea coast.
According to the operators, the gas storage facilities in the EU are on average almost 86 percent full. Since the spring of this year, EU-wide regulations have stipulated that storage tanks must be 80 percent full by November 1st – a goal that was already achieved at the end of August. 18 Member States have underground gas storage facilities.
The filling level of the largest German storage facility in Rehden in Lower Saxony is currently almost 75 percent. Due to planned maintenance of this storage facility, no more storage has been carried out since last Monday. The maintenance should last until next Saturday.