Approved by the competent Council of Ministers in order to address any market disturbances during the winter
The Council of Ministers has adopted a regulation to ensure that gas storage capacity in the EU is met before winter and can be shared among Member States in a spirit of solidarity, despite the disruption in the gas market.
The regulation provides that the underground gas storage in the territory of the Member States must reach at least 80% of its capacity before the winter of 2022-2023 and 90% before the following winter seasons. In total, the EU will collectively strive to cover 85% of the EU ‘s total underground gas storage capacity in 2022.
Some Member States do not have storage facilities on their territory and so the regulation stipulates that they should store 15% of their annual domestic gas consumption in reserves located in other Member States and thus have access to gas reserves stored in other Member States. This mechanism will enhance the security of their gas supply, while at the same time sharing the financial burden of filling the EU’s storage capacity.
The Regulation also provides for the mandatory certification of all underground gas storage operators by the authorities of the Member States concerned. The purpose of this certification is to avoid potential risks of external influence on critical storage infrastructure, which could jeopardize the security of the EU’s energy supply and other key security interests.
Obligations to fill storage capacity will expire on December 31, 2025, but inventory certification obligations will continue to apply after that date. The regulation also provides for a derogation in Cyprus, Malta and Ireland if they are not directly connected to the gas system of other Member States.
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