energy policy
Federal Council approves law on filling levels in gas storage facilities
Gas reserves for next winter: Gauge ducks show the pipe pressure of the pipelines of the gas storage facility of Stadtwerke Kiel. Photo: Axel Heimken/dpa
© dpa-infocom GmbH
In order to guarantee the security of the gas supply in Germany, the Bundesrat has approved a corresponding law. Last but not least, it is about minimum filling quantities.
As a precaution for the coming winter, the gas storage facilities in Germany should be sufficiently filled. The Federal Council approved a corresponding law on Friday.
This is to ensure the security of the gas supply. In addition, strong price jumps should be avoided. The law comes in response to Russia’s war against Ukraine and turbulence in gas prices.
The law stipulates minimum filling quantities on certain dates: 80 percent on October 1 of a year, 90 percent on November 1 and 40 percent on February 1. In order to ensure compliance with the specifications, the operator of a gas storage facility must demonstrate a filling level on August 1 of each year that does not endanger the achievement of the filling level specifications.
Preparations for next winter
Federal Minister of Economics Robert Habeck (Greens) said in the Federal Council: “We must have the storage tanks fuller next winter than this winter. Nobody knows how long the war will last, nobody knows which escapades Russia will still pull off. So we have to prepare for this winter.” This requires Russian gas. In order to reduce dependency, consumption would have to be reduced and alternative energies ramped up.
“If it is not possible to make progress in filling the storage tanks over the summer, as the law now stipulates, we will have to take other measures in the summer to prepare this security for the winter,” said Habeck. “I would never have thought that an energy minister would have to make such statements here in the Bundesrat. But that’s the hard, brutal math of energy policy, the physical necessity and dependency that we’ve gotten ourselves into.”
Historically low levels
The storage levels were historically low this winter, according to the Ministry of Economic Affairs. This applies in particular to the storage facilities operated by subsidiaries of the Russian state-owned company Gazprom. Such a situation must not be repeated next winter.
However, the federal government could now have direct influence on the storage facilities operated by Gazprom. Because Habeck had used the Federal Network Agency as a trustee for the German Gazprom subsidiary. Habeck justified this with unclear legal relationships and a violation of reporting regulations. The aim is to ensure security of supply.