Winter promises to be tense for Germany. According to the energy regulator, filling the country’s natural gas reserves to 95% would allow it to last about two and a half months, if Russia decides to cut off its supply.
Germany, which relies heavily on Russian gas, is in a hurry to import as much gas as possible before the cold returns. But the goal of 95% for November seems difficult to reach. “I cannot promise that all storage facilities in Germany will be 95% full in November, even under good supply and demand conditions,” Klaus Mueller, president of the Federal Network Agency, told Bloomberg. “At best, three quarters of them will hit the target.”
Currently, the fill rate is 77%, or around 188 Twh of energy capacity, by far the highest in Europe. In comparison, France exceeds 86% but this storage only represents 113 Twh. However, the German regulator highlights that the filling is “faster” than expected.
nuclear card
Above all, Russia threatens to cut off the tap at any time while its supply through the Nord Stream pipeline is currently reduced to 20% of its transit capacity.
Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, Germany has been preparing for gas rationing by reducing its consumption by at least 20%. “If we miss (this) target, there is a serious risk that we will run out of gas,” warned Klaus Mueller in the Financial Times last week.
Also on the table is the question of postponing the closure of the last nuclear power plants. According to the Wall Street Journal, the expansion of the last three power plants would have to be approved by Berlin.
Source: BFM TV
