BERLIN, November 10. /TASS/. Germany may face natural gas shortage as early as in January if winter turns out to be colder than usual, the Association of underground gas storage facilities operators (INES) said.
"The latest INES gas scenarios show that gas supply remains secure under normal and warm temperature conditions. However, in an extremely cold winter corresponding to the reference year 2010, gas demand could not be fully met in January, February and March 2027," the association said. "The model indicates potential supply shortfalls of up to 6.6 terawatt-hours (TWh) in a single month. On individual days in January, shortages could reach 1.7 TWh," INES noted.
"Our scenarios demonstrate how important sufficiently filled gas storage facilities are for Germany's security of supply. Imports through the available pipelines and LNG terminals alone cannot meet peak demand on cold winter days. Low gas storage levels pose a significant risk to security of supply. Germany needs a reliable long-term framework that makes it economically viable to maintain sufficient gas volumes for the winter and ensures that these volumes are secured through binding measures," said Sebastian Heinermann, Managing Director of INES.
"Germany entered the 2026/27 heating season with historically low gas storage levels. As of 1 November, storage facilities were only 61% full, falling nine percentage points short of the statutory filling target of 70%," INES added.