Gas reserves are filling up “faster than expected” in Germany, despite significant drops in Russian deliveries, the government welcomed on Sunday, which expects to meet its October target as early as September.
“Despite the difficult circumstances […]the reservoirs are filling up faster than expected,” Economy and Climate Minister Robert Habeck said in a statement.
The storage target set by the government for October, at 85%, “should be reached from the beginning of September”, detailed his ministry. Gas reserves currently stand at 82 percent of capacity, he added.
In mid-August, again, the Network Agency, the energy regulator, was skeptical about the country’s ability to achieve these objectives.
But “the precautionary measures” – in particular energy savings – taken by Berlin in recent weeks and “the massive purchase of gas” from other suppliers have enabled “significant progress”, according to the government.
Germany is heavily dependent on Russian gas and has seen its deliveries drop sharply since the start of the war in Ukraine. Gas flows have fallen to 20% of the capacity of the main gas pipeline, Nord Stream, with the European Union accusing Moscow of using the energy as a “weapon” in the conflict.
Faced with the risk of shortages, Berlin set a series of targets in July for gas stocks to reach 95% by the 1er November, before the onset of winter.
To do this, the government has adopted a series of resource-saving measures, including increased use of coal, reduced consumption by public buildings and incentives for businesses.
Berlin has also released an exceptional envelope of 1.5 billion euros to buy liquefied natural gas (LNG) in order to ensure its supply, from Qatar and the United States, in particular. A winning strategy: “We manage to replace a very large part of Russian gas,” said Mr. Habeck.
In the medium term, five LNG terminal projects are planned for the country to import the resource directly from the sea. The first should be operational this winter in the port of Wilhelmshaven, on the North Sea.