Germany expands its gas storing targets, aims reservoirs to run at 95% capacity by Nov

Germany’s Economy Minister Robert Habeck has announced an increase in his country’s target for storing gas, arguing that Russia was not a credible source of energy. Despite Moscow restarting the flow of gas through its Nordstream Pipeline, Germany remains on high alert. On Thursday, Habeck further tightened precautions for the winters and announced new energy-saving rules. "We need staying power,” he said.

As per the new target, natural gas reservoirs now needed to be 95% full by November 1- an amount higher than the previous set target of 90%. He elaborated that storages should be 75% full by September and 85% by the start of October. Calling it a ‘Use it or lose it policy,’ he warned storage operators that the control of their facilities would be taken away if they didn’t comply with their policies.

In a separate report, German tabloid Bild stated that the German administration is planning measures to save gas in apartments when heating during winters. This would allow people to legally turn off the heating. In addendum, Habeck on Thursday also announced that a mandatory heating check would be done and dysfunctional heating systems would be repaired. 

"A gas-saving regulation is also being discussed in order to take gas out of the market if possible. With the House of Transport Minister Volker Wissing (52, FDP), regulation is to be drawn up that gives preference to coal and oil in rail transport," the German lawmaker added.

Germany starts withdrawing gas from underground storage

This comes as Germany reportedly started withdrawing gas from underground storage facilities (UGS) on Tuesday, July 12. The data from Gas Infrastructure Europe (GIE) has revealed that gas withdrawal from Germany's UGS facilities reached 85.5 million cubic meters while the injection level remains at 72.6 million cubic meters, TASS reported. The withdrawal of gas from underground storage facilities comes at a time when Russia's energy giant Gazprom has stopped the supply of gas through the Nord Stream pipeline for annual maintenance. 

Earlier, Bundesnetzagentur President Klaus Muller said that the gas storage facilities are filled at around 65%. Speaking to Bild, Muller stressed that the situation is "better" than what it was in the previous weeks and added that it is "still not enough to get through'' the winter season without having Russian gas.

(Image: AP)