Frankfurt (Germany) (AFP) – The German government assured Monday that the country's gas supply remained secure for the coming winter, despite storage levels significantly below regulatory targets, an assessment contested by the sector organization, which calls for additional measures.
Published on: 02/11/2026 - 12:35 Modified on: 02/11/2026 - 14:06
As of November 1, German gas reserves were 61.5% full, according to the European Aggregated Gas Storage Inventory (AGSI) platform, far from the thresholds provided for by regulations, which impose an average filling of 70%, and the average level of nearly 75% observed for the European Union.
“Germany's gas supply is assured for next winter, even with current storage filling levels,” however assured a spokesperson for the German Ministry of the Economy to AFP.
Germany "should get through the winter in good conditions", she added, while specifying that this opinion was shared by the European Commission and the Federal Network Agency (Bundesnetzagentur).
For the latter, contacted by AFP, "security of supply is guaranteed" and "the risk of a tense situation in terms of gas supply is low".
The filling objective on November 1 was "not imperative for security of supply", adds the agency for which the good interaction between the different import routes, stocks and demand is especially important in a context where "gas available" globally and "import capacities" are sufficient.
To justify a secure supply, Berlin highlights its liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals put into service since the energy crisis caused in 2022 by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
The opening in 2025 of new terminals in Wilhelmshaven and soon in Stade, in the north of the country, should further increase these capacities.
“Clear signal”
According to Berlin, the majority of German storage facilities have a filling rate above 70%, with the low levels of a few sites, such as those of SEFE, the former German subsidiary of the Russian giant Gazprom nationalized in 2022, weighing on the national average.
At the end of September, Economy Minister Katherina Reiche instructed SEFE to purchase and store an additional 8 TWh of gas by December 15 in order to strengthen security of supply in the face of “geopolitical risks”.
The effects of this measure are not yet fully visible in current reserve levels.
In a press release published on Sunday, the German organization of gas storage companies (INES), which represents more than 90% of German capacities, estimates for its part that the government filling objectives "have not been achieved", which, it judges, is "a clear signal of the need to strengthen winter preparation systems".
Rather than relying solely on market incentives, the organization is calling for an obligation imposed on suppliers to build up sufficient stocks before winter, an option to which the ministry has said it is open.
The price of European gas exceeded 100 euros per megawatt hour on Wednesday for the first time in four years, boosted by the war in the Middle East and by lower stocks than last year as winter approaches.
© 2026 AFP
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