Overview
- The Federal Network Agency currently judges Germany’s gas supply to be stable, citing available global volumes and import routes that can be increased when needed.
- Germany can store about 23 billion cubic metres of gas at roughly 40 sites, equal to about one quarter of annual demand, and operators must meet set minimum fill targets for November 1 and February 1.
- Storage levels are lower than in some recent summers because LNG imports can be ramped up in winter, which reduced the commercial incentive to fill stores during warm months.
- A recent attack involving the US and Israel and Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz briefly disrupted LNG shipping that normally carries about 20 percent of world trade and pushed global gas prices higher.
- Southern Germany, especially Bavaria, remains more exposed because it has no nearby LNG terminals and depends on long-distance pipelines and cross-border storage such as Austria’s Haidach to cover winter peaks.