Germany Weighs Future Gas Market Design, Debates Strategic Reserve Plan

Stakeholder Consultations Underway

Policy Direction for Germany’s Gas Market

BERLIN, Feb 20 (Reuters) - The German government is consulting with stakeholders on how the country's gas market can be developed, an economy ministry spokesperson said on Friday, leaving open the question if the country could create a strategic gas reserve.

Government’s Storage Stance

"We want the market to fill the gas storage facilities, not the government," the spokesperson said at a regular government press conference.

Details Pending from the Ministry

Here are some details:

* German storages are 21.6% full, the lowest level for thetime of year since at least 2011, Gas Infrastructure Europe datashow * Berlin has repeatedly said gas supplies are secure thiswinter, pointing to new LNG terminals and deliveries bycountries like Norway, Belgium or the Netherlands * The economy ministry says Germany is seeing more gasbookings for next winter than it had for this winter at thispoint in 2025, without providing more details * "So we are optimistic that the market has understoodthat there must now be a return to market-based pricing," thespokesperson says * Commerzbank analysts say expiring EU regulation onminimum storage filling levels on April 1, 2027, and the plannedphase-out of Russian pipeline gas by end of 2027 mean Germanyneeds a safety net * "A central pillar of this instrument could be thecreation of a strategic gas reserve," Commerzbank analysts say

Reporting and Credits

(Reporting by Thomas Seythal in Berlin, additional reporting by Nora Buli in Olso, editing by)