According to the storage association GIE, the filling level of all storage facilities in Europe was 94.34 percent on Saturday. In Austria, as reported, the level is more than 90 percent. In Germany, the amount stored on October 24, at 239.64 terawatt hours, exceeded the previous maximum of November 10, 2019, when 239.62 terawatt hours of energy content were registered.
The value has now risen to 241.62 terawatt hours (provisional as of October 29). For comparison: In January and February 2022, according to the Federal Network Agency, a total of almost 227 terawatt hours of natural gas were consumed in Germany.
The German storage facilities are 98.52 percent full. The percentage all-time high has not been reached: On October 27, 2019, according to the Association of German Storage Operators, they were 99.66 percent full.
“Since Monday last week, the absolute storage levels in Germany have been at a record level,” said the managing director of the German storage association Ines, Sebastian Bleschke, on Monday. “Against the background of the gas reserves thus created, it can be stated that very good provisions have been made for the coming winter.” High filling levels are of central importance in order to achieve independence from individual gas suppliers. “We have now come a big step closer to this independence.”
Gas storage level in Austria rose to over 90 percent
The extremely mild October has lifted the gas storage level in Austria to over 90 percent. In many households, especially in well-insulated houses and apartments, no heating was required in October. The government’s target of filling storage to over 80 percent by November 1 was exceeded by more than 10 percentage points.
According to the AGSI database, 87.9 terawatt hours are currently stored in Austrian storage facilities, and annual consumption is around 90 TWh. EU-wide, the storage tanks are on average 94 percent full. The full storage is also a reason why the gas price on the stock exchange recently fell. If there is no more storage capacity, demand will be dampened.
According to ORF meteorologist Marcus Wadsak, this October was 3.3 degrees warmer than the average for the years 1981 to 2010. “Due to man-made climate change, we are increasingly experiencing things that have never happened before,” Wadsak wrote on Facebook.
Source: Nachrichten
