Germany can make do without Russian gas – regulator

Consumers are still being urged to conserve energy ahead of next winter

Germany is planning to fill up its gas storage facilities for next winter without Russian supplies, according to the head of the Federal Network Agency, Klaus Mueller.

The official said that the nation’s tanks are not empty ahead of the end of the current heating season, claiming that this will allow Berlin not to turn to Russian piped gas.

“We are now coming out of the winter with relatively full storage facilities. This will help fill the storage facilities over the summer without Russian pipeline gas,” Mueller told Germany’s DPA news agency on Thursday.

According to data provided by the regulator, Germany’s gas storage facilities were 64.3% full as of Tuesday. On November 14, they were 100% full.

While the EU has not banned Russian pipeline gas imports, their flows dwindled significantly after Ukraine-related sanctions were imposed last year. They were also affected by the sabotage that disabled the Nord Stream pipeline, one of the main routes for Russian gas to Europe. As a result, Germany no longer receives Russian gas directly.

READ MORE: Germany’s energy crunch explained

Germany currently receives liquefied natural gas (LNG) via floating terminals in Wilhelmshaven, Lubmin, and Brunsbuttel. It is rapidly building up its own infrastructure to replace Russian supplies of natural gas. 

Last week, a member of the German Bundestag, Andrej Hunko, claimed that the shift had turned the nation’s dependence on Russian natural gas into an addiction to LNG from the US.

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