Energy crisis not over yet, gas storage must be full before winter - German grid agency

The energy crisis in Germany is not over and the country should take provisions to ensure a reliable supply especially of natural gas for the coming winter, the head of the Federal Network Agency (BNetzA), Klaus Müller, told the newspaper Hamburger Abendblatt. “If we get a cold winter in Europe, we will be happy if we are well prepared. This is because we will also have to show solidarity with our European neighbours,” he argued. Germany is currently on track to fill its gas storage capacity according to plans, Müller added. “If things go well, we will have full storage by the end of summer.” He stressed that there is no prospect for increasing storage capacity in the near future, which makes efficient use of existing capacity of  the utmost importance. Private customers should take precautions for the winter by retrofitting their homes before the winter, Müller added.

Households and industrial customers in Germany significantly reduced their energy consumption in the winter 2022/2023, helping to avert a much-feared supply shortage during the energy crisis driven by Russia’s war on Ukraine. While Germany managed to quickly find new sources for natural gas after imports from Russia fell away and efficiency and saving measures further contributed to avoiding a shortage, a comparatively mild weather in early 2023 was a decisive factor in why the country’s energy security was not compromised during the previous winter.