Germany is weighing the possibility of establishing a national strategic gas reserve, modeled loosely on the U.S. emergency oil stockpile, Bloomberg reports, citing sources close to the discussions.
The Ministry for Economic Affairs has initiated a feasibility study into building a government-controlled gas storage facility. Presently, gas storage in Germany is dominated by private firms, which typically buy gas during lower-demand summer months and store it to sell at higher winter prices.
A government representative confirmed that the ministry is currently commissioning a wide-ranging analysis of the gas market, noting that “the strategic reserve is just one aspect of this broader review.”
Despite having some of the largest gas storage capacities in Europe, Germany faces mounting challenges in keeping these reserves filled. Weak economic conditions have resulted in significantly underutilized facilities, leading the government to relax storage mandates. In some cases, companies like Uniper SE have warned they may shut down unprofitable sites.
Gas remains essential to Germany’s industrial economy, prompting a renewed push to explore state-held backup systems that could stabilize supply during periods of high demand or market volatility.
The United States’ Strategic Petroleum Reserve, the largest of its kind globally, serves not only as an emergency supply but also as a geopolitical tool to offset disruptions in global oil flows.
Several European nations, including Italy and Austria, already operate national gas reserves that are insulated from broader market trading. According to the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Gas, government-controlled storage makes up roughly 11% of total EU gas storage capacity.
The issue has become especially urgent in southern Germany, where industrial gas consumption is highest. Although Berlin recently reduced national gas storage targets to mitigate price pressures, it upheld strict fill-level requirements at four key sites near the Swiss and Austrian borders.
One such location, Rehden — among the largest gas storage facilities in Europe — was at one point under consideration as a strategic site but has since been deemed less suitable, according to a source familiar with the matter. Other options include short-term storage at Germany’s LNG terminals, developed to replace Russian gas imports during the energy crisis and now hosting three operational facilities.
