The BDEW, German energy industry’s umbrella organization, argues that a national strategic gas reserve would be a sensible tool for securing future supply. “Creating a reserve is a practical measure to protect against an acute crisis and unexpected external shocks” said Kerstin Andreae, chairperson of BDEW’s executive board, to the Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland. “It preserves operational capability and makes Germany more resilient”.
The reserve, however, should not be used to blunt price spikes; its sole purpose is to guarantee physical supply continuity. “Therefore we need clear rules for deploying a storage‑based reserve” Andreae added. “It must be limited to emergency situations and used in a way that avoids market distortions”. Earlier, the German Federal Network Agency’s president, Klaus Müller, had already called for establishing such a strategic reserve, stressing the necessity of a safety net that allows a swift response to unforeseeable events.
