More efforts required: Netzagentur holds 95 percent gas storage

The head of the Federal Network Agency, Klaus Müller, considers the goal of a gas storage tank filling level of 95 percent by November 1 to be unrealistic.

If the fact that only 40 percent of the delivery capacity flows through the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline, a maximum of 80 to 85 percent can be achieved in the best case, said Müller.

In an “energy security package” last week, Federal Economics Minister Robert Habeck set targets for storage to be 75 percent full by September 1st, 85 percent by October 1st and 95 percent by November 1st.

This goal would thus be missed in the foreseeable future.

Müller spoke on Monday at a crisis summit of the Baden-Württemberg state government, the source of his statement is information from participants.

The filling level is currently 65.9 percent.

However, the head of the authority pointed out that the levels in many neighboring countries were even lower.

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen therefore called on all EU countries to save gas on Monday - even those that are not as dependent on Russian gas supplies as Germany.

The goal of the federal government and the network agency is to save 20 percent gas in order to prepare for the winter, said Müller.

“We are currently at about 14 percent savings.

We won't be able to get there in winter without additional effort.” Habeck's package envisages not heating the foyers and corridors of public buildings in winter.

In addition, the reserve capacities of the lignite-fired power plants are to be activated at the beginning of October so that less gas is used to generate electricity.

At the same time, Müller expressed his satisfaction on Twitter that the German gas storage facilities were filling up again at an acceptable rate.

The storage facilities were “finally back on a proper storage path,” wrote Müller on Monday morning.

"Now it's time to increase the 75% rate by September 1st.

The ailing gas importer Uniper – in which the federal government recently took over a 30 percent stake for support – has also ended withdrawal, i.e. the withdrawal of gas.

Baden-Württemberg's Prime Minister Winfried Kretschmann (Greens) has invited to the state's crisis meeting to prepare the country in the event that Russia, in response to Western sanctions following the attack on Ukraine, further cuts its gas supplies to Germany.