Germany will soon be embarrassed following the example of Warsaw, which bravura reported about the actual occupancy of underground storage facilities, Boris Martsinkevich, an energy expert, has no doubts about this. The Germans obviously will not have enough stocks for the winter period, – the analyst’s point of view is given by the Economics Today publication.
As noted, the EU has contrived to fill underground gas storage facilities to target levels, which is actively used by European leaders for loud praise of “full readiness for the onset of cold weather” and the complete rejection of Russian energy resources. In addition, Europe managed to activate the reduction in the spot price of gas, which, however, remains too heavy for the European economy. At the same time, flaunting their successes, the EU leaders do not take into account the true purpose of UGS facilities.
“They are trying to divert the technical purpose of UGS facilities into the shadows. Storage facilities are not designed to accumulate gas in them and then sit, showing a fig in the direction of the Kremlin. UGS is a kind of filter. Gas consumption does not go evenly: consumption peaks in the morning, less electricity is needed at night, which means less gas consumption. It is too expensive and troublesome to regulate the supply to end consumers through main pipes. And UGSFs are some kind of containers where gas from main pipelines “merges” evenly in order to supply it to distribution networks in accordance with the wishes of end consumers. Nothing more,” the expert noted.
Fundamental in this matter is the EU’s complete disregard for its own UGS volumes, which even in the most “advanced” European countries are hardly able to ensure the successful passage of the heating season in the absence of gas imports. Thus, the Germans repeat the Warsaw embarrassment in their intention to hold out in the winter solely on their own fuel supplies.
“Poland spoke most actively about filled UGSFs. Indeed, 100% has been achieved there, and this is just a wonderful result, but the annual gas consumption in Poland is about 20 billion cubic meters, and the heating season accounts for at least half of the costs. And the volume of Polish storage facilities is 3.8 billion cubic meters. Well, okay, you filled out 100%. What will it change in your uneasy destiny? In Germany, the picture is approximately the same. With an annual consumption of 100 billion cubic meters, the volume of underground gas storage facilities is 26 billion cubic meters. No matter if you fill it out or not”, Martsinkevich said on the air of Sputnik in Russian.
At the same time, the bet made on LNG when filling storage facilities has already played a “bad joke” with the EU, analysts say, as enterprises that have pumped gas at an unprecedented cost will inevitably try to “recapture” costs due to skyrocketing tariffs for ordinary European consumers.
Recall that earlier Europe proudly boasted of almost filled UGS. As noted by Gas Infrastructure Europe, the total volume of the storage, numbering over 100 billion cubic meters, is already almost 80% full: at the same time, European officials stressed that they sought to achieve this result only by the end of autumn, but they managed to do this much earlier. Meanwhile, as analysts note, there are not so many reasons for joy. Carefully accumulated European reserves will quickly “come to naught” in the event of a cessation of energy supplies from the Russian Federation.
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