BERLIN: Germany is filling up its gas stocks faster than expected despite huge Russian supply cuts and should meet its October target early, the government said on Sunday.
Europe’s biggest economy is heavily reliant on Russian gas and has rushed to boost its reserves ahead of the winter after deliveries from Russia dwindled after the outbreak of the war in Ukraine.
Last week, Germany’s energy regulator the Federal Network Agency said the country was unlikely to meet its targets.
But the government said there had been “significant progress” in recent weeks in energy-saving measures and huge purchases of gas from other suppliers.
“Despite the difficult conditions… stocks are filling up faster than expected,” Economy and Climate Minister Robert Hebeck said in a statement.
His ministry said the target of achieving 85 percent gas storage capacity by October should be achieved “by early September”, with the current level at 82 percent.
Gas flows from the main pipeline, the Nord Stream, fell by 20 percent, with the European Union accusing Moscow of using energy as a weapon in its standoff with Ukraine over Ukraine.
To avert the risk of an energy shortage, Berlin set several targets in July so that gas stocks would reach 95 percent of capacity by November.
The government has introduced measures to allow more coal-based electricity and reduce energy consumption in public buildings.
It has spent €1.5 billion ($1.5 billion) to buy liquefied natural gas, of which Qatar and the US are major suppliers, and plans to import five new LNG terminals by sea.