Natural gas storage capacity in Germany has dropped below 60% for the first time in years, according to Sebastian Bleschke, executive director of the German association of underground gas storage operators INES.
The capacity is currently about 59%, which is a “historically low level” in comparison with previous years. Since the real winter is yet to come, the relatively small reserves should certainly be handled with care.
If the withdrawal of gas from the storage facilities is the same as now, the occupancy rate [of storage facilities] will become very low in February 2022.
According to Handelsblatt, Germany’s nationwide gas market trading hub has announced a special tender for the purchase of natural gas in order to prevent power outages starting in 2022.
A special tender is a market mechanism for securing gas supplies. Given the current market situation, gas purchases will be definitely a challenge, since Germany ignored to give Russia a permit to flow gas into Europe through the Baltic supply line.
Germany has the largest natural gas storage capacity in the EU. Earlier, the European Commission proposed to set up a mechanism where EU countries could carry out joint voluntary purchases of natural gas to fill the underground storage facilities.
European energy prices continued to rise this week after Germany delayed the certification of Russia’s Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which could provide additional supplies of natural gas to the continent.
RT. com / ABC Flash Point News 2021.
Gazprom does own storage capacity in Germany (and in other countries). However, most of the storage capacity is owned by other conglomerates, (German, British, American and so on) In fact Gazprom’s underground storage capacity is relatively low compared to the total capacity owned by others.
Gazprom storage is filled to the brim, however, that’s not enough to guarantee uninterrupted supply and by the way that’s not Gazprom’s role to guarantee the full capacity, that’s the role of German/EU policy makers’ role.
Germany will approve the Nord Stream 2 pipeline if its people will be freezing in their homes?
Gazprom has delivered every bit of gas that Germany has purchased, and it has no ability to prevent Germany from buying gas from other sources. Natural gas reserves in Germany are going down because the imbeciles leading the German government refused to sign long term contracts when Gazprom offered those, which would have provided a much lower price, and instead took their chances on the short term market. They did that to force a faster switch over to non-fossil fuel energy sources. They don’t like the higher price of gas on the short term market, so they’re running down their… Read more »
Self fulfilling prophecy?