Gas storage only 59.4 per cent full: Bundesnetzagentur expects low levels at the end of winter

What the Bundesnetzagentur reported on 9 October

The Bundesnetzagentur (Federal Network Agency) updated its gas supply assessment on 9 October 2026. German storage facilities are 59.4 per cent full, equivalent to 147.0 terawatt hours, which is significantly lower than in the same periods of previous years. Between 30 September and 6 October, 15.2 terawatt hours arrived by pipeline and 1.9 terawatt hours via the LNG terminals. The agency considers supply secure but expects a comparatively low storage level at the end of winter. On 30 September, according to ZfK, the economics ministry had already instructed the state-owned company SEFE to inject an additional 8 terawatt hours by 15 December. What a kilowatt hour of heat from gas costs compared with other heating systems is set out in the guide to heat costs per kilowatt hour.

Which landlords and businesses are affected

Everyone who buys gas for space heating or processes is affected: owners and landlords of apartment buildings with central gas heating, housing companies, commercial businesses and hotels. The Bundesnetzagentur itself states that whether and to what extent higher wholesale prices reach customers depends on how long the conflict in the Middle East lasts, on suppliers’ procurement and on contractual terms. Anyone on a contract with a price adjustment clause or a variable tariff bears that risk directly.

Why a secure winter is not yet a cheap one

The agency’s good news is that homes will not go cold. The bad news sits in the subordinate clause: low storage at the end of winter means expensive refilling in spring, and that ends up in 2027 tariffs. For landlords this is doubly awkward, because they pre-finance heating costs and only share the bill with tenants months later.

Since 2021 I have seen in heating projects that owners usually only learn their gas price from the annual statement. Those who know now which clause is in their contract can adjust advance payments and talk to tenants before the back payment arrives.

What to do now

1. Check the gas supply contract: fixed price until when, price adjustment clause, notice periods.
2. Recalculate tenants’ heating cost advance payments against the current price and adjust them if necessary.
3. Work out your own heat price per kilowatt hour, not just the tariff price, so that alternatives can be compared properly.