If Russia stops supplying gas to Germany by the start of the heating period, the planned gas storage levels for the winter will be tight. Nevertheless, it could be scarce in the cold season.
Despite the ongoing Russian gas supply freeze through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, gas storage operators in Germany believe that natural gas can continue to be stored. Last Wednesday, the first day of the supply interruption, had already shown this, said the managing director of the Initiative Energies Storage (INES) industry association, Sebastian Bleschke. The bottom line was that 611 gigawatt hours of gas were added nationwide that day, he said.
For comparison: On Monday, the last day before the announced supply reduction, Nord Stream 1 transported around 348 gigawatt hours of Russian natural gas. "I assume that storage can be maintained at this level, so that the 85 percent target will be reached in a few days," says Bleschke: "If the complete failure of Russian gas transport continues into November, it will be achieved However, reaching the 95 percent target will require a lot of effort."
According to a new regulation, the storage facilities in Germany should be at least 95 percent full by November 1st. The federal government wants to use various measures to ensure that the gas storage tanks reach this level at the beginning of the heating period. The country should be better prepared against a total failure of Russian deliveries in winter.
The gas volume at 95 percent roughly corresponds to the nationwide consumption of the two months of January and February 2022. Germany now receives by far the most natural gas from Norway, the Netherlands and Belgium. According to the Federal Network Agency, around 2,900 gigawatt hours of natural gas flowed from these countries to Germany on Thursday.
