MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 28th May, 2022) Germany could face gas shortages in the event of a decrease in gas supplies or a complete ban on imports from Russia since the country's storage facilities are still insufficiently stocked, German Federal Network Agency (Bundesnetzagentur) head Klaus Muller said Friday.
Muller told German radio Deutschlandfunk that the current gas storage levels are "not good enough" despite the fact that they are higher compared to previous years. He also called Germany's decision to procure two floating liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals a good interim solution, adding that it is necessary to ensure energy security at the moment disregarding that LNG is less environmentally-friendly.
"In this sense, one always has to choose the lesser of two evils," Muller said.
According to the agency's daily report, the German gas storage facilities were 46.4% full as of May 27. Berlin is intending to bring gas storage levels to 80% by October and to 100% by November.
European countries have already rolled out five sanctions packages against Moscow for its special military operation in Ukraine, launched on February 24. The European Union is considering the sixth package, which entails an embargo on oil imports from Russia. Several European countries, including Hungary, continue to block its adoption due to concerns about a negative impact on their economies and energy security.
On May 18, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen presented the so-called REPowerEU initiative, the bloc's plan to phase out Russian energy resources that provides for gas imports from other countries and increase the bloc's share of renewable energy.
