Germany is falling behind in its race to refill its gas storage facilities before winter, prompting calls for stronger incentives to accelerate injections.
High market prices have slowed the refilling of Germany’s storage facilities, putting the country’s target at risk.
“If storage injections continue at their current pace, Germany will not meet the statutory storage filling requirements by 1 November,” Sebastian Heinermann, managing director of the gas-storage association INES, told Euronews Business.
German storage facilities were approximately 51.5% full on 25 August, compared with around 69% a year earlier. Germany is required to reach an aggregate filling level of 70% by 1 November.
Storage levels are also low elsewhere in Europe. Dutch state-owned gas-infrastructure company Gasunie has warned that the Netherlands could miss its target this year.
