Germany's Gas Storage at Just 61.35% on October 30, Well Below the 80% Target for November 1, Industry Group Says
BERLIN — Germany must review and improve its mechanism for filling its gas caverns, gas storage industry association INES said on Sunday, November 1, as storage levels in Europe's top economy remained at record lows ahead of the winter season.
As of October 30, gas storage levels stood at 61.35%, well below an 80% target Germany has set for November 1, raising fears about supply shortages even though Berlin has said there will not be any bottlenecks.
INES Managing Director Sebastian Heinermann said in a statement that the main driver of the lower storage levels had been the Iran war and its impact on prices, which had made filling caverns over the summer uneconomical. INES has prepared a report together with gas grid operator association FNB Gas that it says will help inform the political process.
Germany on Friday rejected accusations from Italy that it had failed to fill its gas stores ahead of winter in order to reduce costs for its gas import companies to prepare them for privatisation.
Source: Reuters, November 1, 2026, citing the INES statement.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 德国 Empelde 天然气储存设施的地面装置（资料图）。Gerd Fahrenhorst 摄，CC BY 3.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Surface installations at the Empelde natural gas storage facility in Germany (file photo). Photo by Gerd Fahrenhorst, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
