Für Krisenzeiten: Reiche bringt neue Finanzierung für Gasreserve ins Spiel

Bundeswirtschaftsministerin Katherina Reiche is proposing new funding options for a strategic gas reserve as Germany faces energy market volatility. In a video interview with Deutsche Presse-Agentur, Reiche stated that two funding options could be considered: an additional charge on gas consumers or budget financing. She added that a mixed model might also be viable and must be discussed within the coalition and with the market.

Reiche emphasized that she does not want to further burden companies already facing "competitive difficulties." The purpose of the state gas reserve is to ensure energy flows to Germany, especially during extreme scenarios like physical attacks on pipelines or infrastructural disruptions, as seen in the East Sea and Berlin. A portion of the reserve would be fed from the market, separate from the market.

The plan to prepare this reserve is underway, with plans to be presented to Parliament by the end of the year. The reserve is expected to hold 24 billion kilowatt-hours, equivalent to about ten percent of Germany's storage capacity. The funding for the reserve will come from a charge on consumers, which is expected to be less burdensome than a previously abolished gas storage charge.

Energen Speichern, a comparison portal, estimates the costs for an average household with a 20,000 kilowatt-hour gas consumption per year at around 42 Euros for construction and approximately 5 Euros for annual operational costs. The portal estimates the construction costs for the reserve at 1.5 billion Euros. Gas storage facilities are designed as a buffer for gas supply disruptions, and terminals in the North and Baltic Sea that receive liquefied natural gas (LNG) are also significant.

As of July, the storage facility's fill level was at 47 percent, due to high gas extraction at the end of the previous winter and increased gas prices. INES scenarios suggest that a 76 percent fill level by November would suffice to ensure gas supply security under normal or warm winter conditions. However, extreme cold winters would require a higher fill level.