Gas shortage may occur in Germany in winter
In Germany, gas reserves in underground storage facilities fell to 53 percent in early September, recording the lowest level since statistics began to be kept. Operators warn that if the winter is very cold, reserves could run out as early as the beginning of February.
There is a possibility of a gas shortage in Germany during the winter season
INES (Initiative Energien Speichern), which unites underground gas and hydrogen storage operators in Germany, has stated that the country may face natural gas supply problems in the upcoming winter.
According to data published by the organization on September 8, gas storage facilities in Germany were only 53 percent full at the beginning of September. This is the lowest level since the relevant statistics began to be kept, i.e., in the last 15 years.
For comparison, last year gas reserves in storage facilities reached the 53 percent level as early as the end of June, and at the beginning of September, the filling level was nearly 71 percent.
According to INES calculations, technically Germany can fill its gas storage facilities to approximately 77 percent by November 1. However, this requires a significant increase in the rate of pumping gas into storage.
In particular, during the remaining two months, more gas will need to be placed into storage than was injected in total over the last three months.
According to experts' estimates, if the winter passes with normal temperatures, filling the storage facilities to 77 percent may be sufficient to cover the country's needs.
However, if the winter turns out to be very cold, as in 2010, such reserves will not be enough. According to INES modeling, in an extreme cold scenario, gas storage facilities could deplete sharply as early as January and be completely empty by the beginning of February.
INES head Sebastian Heinermann also said that filling the storage facilities to 77 percent is insufficient under extremely low temperature conditions. At the same time, this amount of reserves is expected to be sufficient in a warm or normally cold winter.
INES unites natural gas and hydrogen storage operators in Germany. According to the organization, its 17 members cover more than 90 percent of the country's gas storage capacity.
The lower level of filling of Germany's gas storage facilities compared to previous years has been discussed for several months. INES explains this situation primarily by the economic conditions in the market.