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Energy · Europe

Germany is set to miss its 80% gas-storage target

Germany is roughly half full in its gas storage and is expected to miss its official 80% target this year. European storage was about 67% full in September, compared with a seasonal average of around 80%.

AI-assisted synthesis · Based on 3 outlets' reporting · Article text read from 1 of 3 outletsHow it's made

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3 outlets2 regionsLatest reporting 3 min read
Coverage: Too few ratedL 0 · C 1 · R 1 · 1 unrated
Updat3 graphic: Germany
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What happened

Key facts

  • Germany's gas storage is roughly half full and is expected to miss its official 80% target this year (per hotair.com).
  • Germany has Europe's largest gas-storage capacity (per hotair.com).
  • European gas storage was around 67% full in September, compared with a seasonal average of around 80% (per hotair.com).
  • European gas storage has fallen to its lowest level since 2022 (per hotair.com).
  • EU energy commissioner Dan Jorgensen warned that winter could bring very high oil and gas prices but said he expected no supply issues (per hotair.com).
  • Jorgensen proposed delaying rules to reduce methane emissions on energy imports as a way to ease pressure on European energy markets (per hotair.com).

The brief

Germany is on course to miss its official gas-storage target, with reserves roughly half full, HotAir reported. The target calls for storage to reach 80% this year. Germany has the largest gas-storage capacity in Europe, making its shortfall a significant part of the broader regional picture.

Across Europe, storage stood at around 67% full in September, compared with a seasonal average of around 80%, according to HotAir. The outlet said European gas storage had fallen to its lowest level since 2022. The figures describe both a shortfall in Germany and lower-than-average reserves across the wider region.

HotAir reported that EU energy commissioner Dan Jorgensen warned winter could bring “very high” prices for oil and gas. At the same time, Jorgensen said he expected no supply issues. His remarks therefore distinguish the prospect of expensive fuel from a forecast of physical supply problems.

The outlet said the European Union was estimated to have paid an additional €100 billion for oil and gas so far this year. It also reported that the price of natural gas in Europe had more than doubled since the outbreak of the U.S.-Israeli-led war in Iran. HotAir connected the rise in energy costs with pressure on EU ministers to manage high fuel prices.

HotAir described elevated prices as likely to continue rising through winter as demand grows. It also said energy-trade constraints and threats to energy infrastructure across the Middle East were expected to limit global supplies and push prices higher. These are the outlet’s stated explanations for the price outlook, alongside its account of storage levels.

Jorgensen proposed delaying rules aimed at reducing methane emissions on energy imports, which HotAir said could ease pressure on European energy markets. The outlet also said energy costs since 2022 had exceeded €900 billion even as total demand fell.

Its account presents the policy proposal against the backdrop of high costs, below-average storage and the commissioner’s warning about winter prices.

Why it matters

  • Germany's gas-storage reserves are roughly half full, against an official 80% target; the shortfall is especially relevant because Germany has Europe's largest storage capacity.
  • European consumers face the prospect of very high winter oil and gas prices, according to Dan Jorgensen, while he said supply issues were not expected.
  • The European Union was estimated to have paid an extra €100 billion for oil and gas so far this year, a concrete cost cited as EU ministers seek ways to manage high fuel prices.
  • Delaying methane-emissions rules on energy imports is a proposal Jorgensen presented as a way to ease pressure on European energy markets.

What to watch next

  • Whether Germany reaches its official 80% gas-storage target this year.
  • Whether winter brings the very high oil and gas prices Dan Jorgensen warned about.
  • Whether Jorgensen's proposal to delay methane-emissions rules on energy imports is adopted.

How it's being covered

Coverage analysisShow details
3 source articles · 3 unique outlets
Outlet political mix: Too few rated· 1 Center · 1 Right · 1 unrated
Where the outlets are based: Middle East 33% · Asia 33% · Other 34%
Outlet political mix
Too few rated
Left
Center
Right
0 outlets
1 outlet
1 outlet
The marker shows coverage balance: each unique outlet counts once. 1 unrated outlet is not included.
Geography
Where the outlets covering this story are based.
3 unique outletsDominant coverage: Middle East
How we measure coverage

How outlets' accounts compare

Updat3 does not yet have enough full reports to compare how outlets framed this story.

Timeline

Developments from this story's sources, dated background we compiled and fact-checked, and our earlier coverage. Each row says which.
  1. Nord Stream 1 began operating, carrying Russian gas to Germany.
    Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3
  2. The EU adopted its regulation on security of gas supply, setting rules for cooperation during supply disruptions.
    Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3
  3. In 2021, Russia supplied around 45% of EU gas imports, according to the European Commission.
    Background · from our historical context
  4. Germany also established the state-owned company Trading Hub Europe as the market area manager in October 2021, giving it a central role in procuring gas for storage under the emergency framework.
    Background · from our historical context
  5. Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, increasing uncertainty over European gas supplies.
    Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3
  6. An amendment to its Energy Industry Act, adopted in April 2022, introduced legally binding storage-filling requirements.
    Background · from our historical context
  7. The EU adopted Regulation 2022/1032, requiring gas storage to reach 80% by November 1, 2022, and 90% in later years.
    Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3

How we got here

Before the European energy crisis of 2022, Germany relied heavily on Russian natural gas delivered through pipelines, including Nord Stream 1, which began operating in 2011.

In 2021, reduced Russian deliveries and tight global gas markets contributed to rising European gas prices; after Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, flows and expectations of future supply became still more uncertain. An amendment to its Energy Industry Act, adopted in April 2022, introduced legally binding storage-filling requirements.

Original sources

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