Freezing as a calculation: How the state passes on the gas risk to the poorest

As of November 1st, the filling level of the German gas storage facilities was around 75 percent - the legally reduced target value of 70 percent was almost reached, but compared to the almost full storage facilities of previous years, this is the lowest level since the energy crisis of 2022. The Federal Network Agency calls the situation "not satisfactory" and is calling on retailers to finally start storing. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Economic Affairs under Katherina Reiche is calm: They are not expecting any bottlenecks; imports would be enough to cover “average” winter demand.

Average. That is the key word around which the entire strategy revolves. As Der Spiegel puts it: The government is basically hoping that the winter won't be too cold. This is not an energy policy, this is a betting bet with the economy and living rooms as stakes. Anyone who relies on average values ​​has no plan for exceptional cases - and exceptional cases are exactly what storage is actually for. This calculation is not an error in the system, it is the system: The state consistently shifts the risk from public provision to private households, which have no alternative when the gas bill comes in February.

While stock market experts are reassuring on television, prices on the gas market are already rising - low storage levels mean higher procurement costs, which are passed on to consumers via network fees and basic supplier tariffs. Anyone who sits in a condominium with a heat pump doesn't notice much of it. Anyone who rents an old building with gas heating or receives citizens' benefit feels every cent. The standard rates and the "appropriate" heating cost limits of the job centers notoriously lag behind the actual price development - those who have had to make additional payments out of their own pocket in previous winters will do so this time too. Energy policy that relies on market optimism instead of binding level targets is a class question, even if it comes in neutral official language.

The long-term line is clear: in 2022 and 2023, the storage capacity reached almost 100 percent as of November 1st, and in 2024 the value was still around 95 percent of the target. For 2025, the federal government itself lowered the legal target corridor to 70 percent - a quiet adjustment of the rules to the reality of declining provisions, garnished with the story that LNG imports and flexibility would compensate for this. The fact that Germany is, according to economic experts, “open to blackmail” when it comes to liquid gas is accepted. Anyone who preaches sovereign security of supply and at the same time deepens strategic dependence on volatile world markets is engaging in symbolic politics instead of public services.

That's the real scandal: It's not that the winter could be cold, but that an industrialized country with a record budget and one of the largest economies in the world finds it acceptable to downsize the risk collectively and pass it on individually. Energy supply is infrastructure, not a bet. Anyone who sees it differently should also be honest enough to say who freezes when in doubt - and who doesn't.

Sources

ZDFheute: Little gas in German gas storage facilities
Tagesschau: Ministry of Economic Affairs relies on traders because of low gas stocks
Deutschlandfunk: Natural gas storage in Germany – will winter be critical?
Stern: Gas storage facilities in Germany – how well filled are they?
christopher-helm.com: Fill level 75.13% as of November 1st, 2025
zfk.de: Gas storage level – why 100 percent is no longer possible
Federal Network Agency: Current situation of gas supply