Kehler: “Refilling the gas storage facilities will become a major challenge without a new regulatory framework.”

At a special session of the Committee for Economic Affairs and Energy, Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Katherina Reiche will address Members of the Bundestag tomorrow regarding the current supply situation. The focus will be on the historically low fill levels of Germany’s gas storage facilities. Dr. Timm Kehler, Chairman of the association Die Gas- und Wasserstoffwirtschaft, comments:

“Based on the current situation, the supply to all customers is secured – provided that there are no extreme cold spells or other unexpected events this winter. The real challenge, however, will only begin after the heating season: storage facilities must be refilled ahead of next winter. As fill levels are now significantly lower than last year, substantially larger volumes will have to be injected.

The state is responsible for security of supply and therefore sets the rules for gas traders. The former Federal Government acted correctly during the 2022 crisis and consistently filled the storage facilities. However, two consecutive mild winters reduced political pressure, meaning that the necessary structural adjustments to storage management were not implemented. The Federal Government must now quickly make up for the shortcomings of its predecessor and establish a solid framework for maintaining and refilling gas storage facilities for the coming winter. We need clear regulation that leverages market mechanisms while ensuring reliable refilling. France, Austria and Italy demonstrate that this is possible.

Germany has the largest storage capacity in the EU and therefore possesses a highly valuable asset. We must preserve this asset, particularly in view of the additional gas-fired power plants that will be used for electricity generation in the future. The past weeks have placed considerable strain on the system and, for example, temporarily pushed the north–south transmission lines to their limits. For this reason as well, we need sufficient storage capacity in southern Germany to relieve pressure on the grids.”