Her economy Germany could suffer damage of up to 40 billion ($ 46.4 billion) if this year’s winter is extremely cold since stocks gas They are very low, according to a study assigned by the UNIPER Energy Company.
The analysis found that a severe cold period in early 2026 – with temperatures dropped 2.2 ° C (4 ° F) below historical levels, as happened in 2010 – could cause this level of financial loss if natural gas warehouses in northwestern Europe are only 75%full. With almost 83%fullness, stocks are currently lower than usual. «Without full storage facilities, Germany is vulnerable“, Said Uniper’s CEO Michael Lewis.
Conservation of stocks at levels close to 90% would reduce possible losses to approximately EUR 14 billion“Something that would make the difference between stability and recession,” according to a study conducted by Frontier Economics.
The study comes after a difficult stock for Europe this year, with stocks almost exhausted after last winter. While stocks are considered an important means of protecting the region from increases in demand during the heating period, compulsory Europe’s storage targets have also contributed to volatility. Earlier this year, some market participants speculated whether governments would have to intervene to help fill the storage.
A spokesman for the German Ministry of Economy said the country is not based solely on the safety facilities for supply safety, pointing out the importance of liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals and the abundance of fuel available on the world market. The ministry had previously commissioned its own study on the gas market and the storage condition, which is expected to publish later this year.
It is recalled that Uniper manages various storage facilities in Germany.