Is the high filling level too expensive?

Dusseldorf, Berlin The Federal Ministry of Economics rejects allegations that the natural gas reserves for the coming winter were bought at too high a price. “When it comes to filling the storage tank, speed counted and still counts, because the storage tanks have to be filled before winter. We have made a clear regulation for this. The regulation is taking effect,” said a ministry spokeswoman.

If you compare the filling level of the natural gas storage facilities in October 2021 with that of the same month last year, this becomes very clear. The fill level is currently 95.63 percent. In mid-October 2021, the storage was only around 72 percent full, said the spokeswoman. The provision for the coming winter is therefore much better.

The federal government had commissioned Trading Hub Europe GmbH (THE) to procure gas for the storage facilities. THE has thus become a key player in the gas industry and, according to its own statements, paid around eight billion euros for the filling of German gas storage facilities by the end of September – an amount that is too high according to industry insiders.