Business · Energy & Commodities · 52 mins ago
Germany Set to Miss Official Winter Gas Storage Target
Germany is set to miss its official gas storage target for the winter.
The shortfall comes as a cold snap sets in.
The target is for filling the country’s natural gas storage sites.
Those sites provide a reserve for periods when gas use rises.
Germany will have a reduced buffer against surging winter demand.
The available information does not say what steps, if any, will follow.
Germany is set to miss its official winter gas storage target, with stores at 61.4 percent on the day before the November 1 deadline against a calculated national target of about 70 percent.
The Federal Network Agency says Germany’s gas supply is stable and the risk of a strained supply is currently low.
The agency says pipeline and liquefied natural gas imports, storage, infrastructure and demand all contribute to supply security.
Storage operators and other critics warn that extreme cold or disruptions to imports could leave Germany with less protection and push prices higher.
- Who
- Germany, including its gas storage operators and government agencies.
- What
- The country is set to miss its official gas storage target for winter.
- When
- On November 1, 2026; preliminary figures put storage at 61.4 percent the previous day.
- Where
- Germany.
- Why
- Gas storage was less attractive to fill when market prices were high, according to BILD. The sources also say gas can be imported through pipelines and LNG terminals.
Federal Network Agency
INES and storage-sector critics
Supply security
Federal Network Agency
The agency says supply is stable and the current risk of a strained supply is low.
INES and storage-sector critics
INES warns that an extremely cold winter could cause significant supply shortages.
Importance of storage
Federal Network Agency
The agency says meeting storage targets is no longer essential to secure supply, given imports and other parts of the gas system.
INES and storage-sector critics
INES and other critics say low storage leaves Germany with reduced reserves and less protection if cold weather or import disruptions occur.
The federal government instructed state-owned energy company Sefe to store more gas.
Preliminary figures put German gas storage at 61.4 percent, below the calculated target of about 70 percent for November 1.
The official storage-target deadline arrived, with Germany set to miss the target.
- Storage level
- 61.4 percent on October 31, according to BILD
- Calculated national target
- About 70 percent by November 1
- General storage requirement
- At least 80 percent for most German storage sites
- Lower storage requirement
- 45 percent for six sites
- Planned national gas reserve
- 24 billion kilowatt-hours, about 10 percent of Germany’s storage capacity
5 sources
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Gasspeicher nur zu 61,4 Prozent gefüllt: Das bedeutet es im Winter
Germany Misses Gas Storage Target as Cold Snap Sets In
Germany fails to meet Winter gas storage target
What people are saying
Gas has become considerably more expensive, and unfortunately all customers need to be aware of that.
The gas supply is stable. The Federal Network Agency currently assesses the risk of a strained gas supply as low.
Germany is starting the heating period with lower security reserves.
The gas storage facilities are so empty that Germany has no safety buffer for the winter. Every cold front, every small disruption in the supply chain will therefore immediately lead to higher gas prices.