German natgas storage facilities to hit November target early

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FRANKFURT — Germany’s natural gas storage levels came within the 95% mark three weeks ahead of schedule, according to data from Brussels-based infrastructure group GIE, as Europe’s largest economy is bracing for its first winter without Russian gas in decades.

According to the data updated on Wednesday, German gas storage levels stood at 94.97% on Oct. 11, making it highly likely they will pass the 95% barrier the next day.

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Germany has been hit hard by the sudden stop in Russian gas supplies and has intensified efforts to fill up its gas storage facilities to get through the winter and avoid gas rationing.

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Europe’s largest economy, which depends on gas for much of its activities, set a storage target of 85% by Oct. 1, which was reached a month early, and 95% by Nov. 1.

Bundesnetzagentur president Klaus Mueller in June said late that even if Germany’s gas storage facilities were 100% filled it would only last for 2.5 months in case of a complete stop of Russian supplies.

Mueller said that unless households managed to cut consumption by at last a fifth it would be challenging to avoid an emergency situation which would put the network regulator in charge of rationing. (Reporting by Christoph Steitz; Editing by David Gregorio)