Germany Lacks Gas Reserves For Winter, Regulator Says

Klaus Muller, chairman of the Federal Network Agency (Bundesnetzagentur), warned on July 17, 2022, that the amount of gas in storage in Germany is insufficient to get through the upcoming winter without Russian fuel supplies, according to a report from teleSUR in Latin America.

Photo Insert: Klaus Muller, chairman of the Federal Network Agency (Bundesnetzagentur)

Muller has cautioned that the gas stockpile on German soil may not be sufficient for the upcoming winter if Russia's routine delivery is interrupted.

In an interview with Bild am Sonntag, Muller stated, "The gas storage tanks are almost 65% full. That's better than in previous weeks, but still not enough to get through the winter without Russian gas."

The head of the agency that regulates, among other markets, the gas and electricity markets, recalled that maintenance work on the Nord Stream 1 pipeline should in principle be completed by July 21.

"Much will now depend on whether and in what quantities the gas then flows through the pipeline," he said. Last week, according to Muller, there was no significant price increase despite the shutdown of Nord Stream 1.

"This could mean that the markets have already reflected the cessation of Russian gas supplies in prices and that we have reached the plateau...It is not yet clear whether these higher prices, attributable to the reduction in gas supplies from Russia, will have to be maintained in the short term," said Muller.

The first German municipalities have already started to set up heating rooms for the winter.

"We should not panic. In the plans of the agency, heating rooms for the neediest people do not play any role," Muller told journalists.

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