Energie: Wie die Gasspeicher künftig verlässlich gefüllt werden könnten

The low level of gas storage fills remains a problem for Germany's energy supply. The filling level is still below the average of previous years. To achieve higher fills in the future, the Federal Ministry of Economics is open to the idea of linking the booking of storage capacities with the obligation to physically store the gas.

"This is a point we should discuss," said Bernhard Kluttig, head of the department, recently at the Gas Trade Fair in Berlin. Capacity bookings have often turned out to be misleading in the past. Federal Economics Minister Katherina Reiche (CDU) also pointed out the bookings occasionally in recent weeks, claiming that the reservoirs were fully booked.

However, this is not a guarantee that the bookings will actually be used. It's like someone laying a towel on the pool deck at the pool, but not using the deck. Would it make a difference to link the bookings with the obligation to actually store gas? Opinions in the industry are in favor. The state-owned energy group Uniper says a filling obligation could be a useful building block, and with proper design, it could help fill the reservoirs more strongly by the beginning of winter.

"Other European countries are already using such models," said a spokesperson. "What matters is that it is clearly regulated who is committed, what level of protection is achieved, and how the obligation interacts with maintaining sufficient storage capacities."