Gas storage: Reiche's ministry cannot explain 8 terawatt-hour order
Economy Minister Katherina Reiche (CDU) has ordered extra gas to be stored but has not explained why it is exactly eight terawatt-hours. The Greens accuse her of "rolling the dice".
Symbolic image · Photo: Axel Hindemith / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped and resized)
Economy Minister Katherina Reiche (CDU) has ordered an additional 8 terawatt-hours of gas to be stored, but her ministry cannot give a specific reason for the amount. Replying to a query from Green energy spokesman Michael Kellner, state secretary Frank Wetzel wrote that the decision weighed security of supply against possible market distortion, describing it as "a limited intervention in the market", the dts news agency reported.
"Ms Reiche is apparently rolling the dice," Kellner said. He said 8 TWh was about 3 percent of total storage capacity and not enough to reach the target of around 70 percent by Nov. 1. Kellner claimed acting in the summer would have saved more than 150 million euros. A ministry spokesman replied that the course of the fighting could not be predicted, nor could price developments.
According to the Federal Network Agency, storage is 59.4 percent full, well below previous years. The agency nevertheless sees no acute risk to winter supplies because gas imports remain stable. Reiche had long resisted state intervention, fearing price spikes if the state's interest in buying became known.