Ammon News - Germany has said its current gas reserves are sufficient to meet the country's needs during the winter, easing concerns over low storage levels and ruling out costly government intervention to purchase gas in favour of relying on market mechanisms.

The German Press Agency (dpa) quoted Klaus Müller, President of the Federal Network Agency, as saying that more than 136 terawatt-hours (TWh) of gas are currently stored, with facilities more than 55 percent full.

He said this exceeds the nearly 134 TWh withdrawn from storage throughout the entire previous winter season, adding that there is still time for further injections in the coming weeks.

Responding to concerns raised by the Association of Gas Storage Operators (INES) over lower storage levels compared with previous years, Müller said such comparisons were no longer fully accurate.

Germany now has liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals operating at around 45 percent of capacity, alongside pipeline supplies from Norway, allowing additional volumes to be imported rapidly if needed.

Müller stressed that responsibility for filling storage facilities lies with traders, who must meet their supply obligations to municipal utilities and industrial companies.

He said traders can secure supplies through pipeline deliveries, LNG imports or withdrawals from storage, reiterating that costly government intervention is not currently necessary.