Germany faces supply risk in cold winter, gas storage group warns
Germany could face a security of supply risk in a cold weather scenario next winter even if storage sites are filled to current booking levels of 76% - already a challenge amid unfavorable market conditions, gas storage group INES said on Tuesday.
"We already learned from last winter that a booking and filling level of 76% is only sufficient if weather conditions are favorable," said INES managing director Sebastian Heinermann.
In a cold scenario based on the temperature levels of reference year 2010, Germany faces supply deficits totaling 20 terawatt hours (TWh) during January, February, and March 2027, INES' latest gas scenario update showed.
According to its model calculations, more than 35% of gas consumption could no longer be covered on individual days under such a scenario, the group, whose members control around 25% of European Union gas storage, said.
"To be prepared even for a very cold winter, storage capacities must not only be booked in sufficient quantities but also physically filled," Heinermann added.
But with gas for the coming winter currently priced below deliveries this summer due to LNG supply disruptions, the economic incentive to fill storage is very limited, INES warned.
On May 1, 2026, the average storage level in Germany stood at only around 26%, a level last seen during the crisis year of 2021/2022.
Storage withdrawals nearly doubled month on month amid cold weather in January, with 38% of gas demand that month covered by gas originating from storage sites, INES said.
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