“At extreme temperatures”
Gas storage operators warn of a shortage
October 12, 2023, 4:09 p.m
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The German gas storage facilities are filling up more quickly than last year, but the Association of Storage Operators believes it is still too early to give the all-clear. If it gets very cold, things could still get tight over the course of the winter.
Despite the gas storage facilities currently being almost completely full, the Association of Gas Storage Operators believes there is still a risk of a gas shortage “at extremely cold temperatures” in winter. “Even if the gas storage facilities are completely filled again before winter, gas demand could probably no longer be fully met given extremely cold temperatures and current consumption patterns,” said the Energy Storage Initiative (INES). “If we do not succeed in putting more floating LNG terminals into operation before winter, only additional savings efforts can probably avoid a gas shortage in extremely cold temperatures,” said INES Managing Director Sebastian Heinermann.
According to the association, the gas storage facilities in Germany are completely full at over 97 percent. According to data from the European gas storage institute GIE, the filling level was already more than 95 percent at the end of September. This means that the gas storage facilities have been filled faster this year than a year ago. The 95 percent mark was reached on October 13 last year. A regulation introduced last year during the gas crisis stipulates that the storage facilities should be 95 percent full by November 1st.
The storage systems compensate for fluctuations in gas consumption and thus form a buffer system for the market. The last time the storage tanks were 100 percent full was on the morning of November 14, 2022. The filling levels usually decrease in winter and increase again after the end of the heating season. According to previous information from the federal government, the amount of natural gas stored in the storage facilities at 100 percent level corresponds to the consumption of two to three average cold winter months.