Germany is expected to sign liquified natural gas (LNG) import deals with the United Arab Emirates within days, as it moves to replace all of the Russian energy imports by 2024.
Russia accounted for 55% of Germany’s gas imports in 2021 but this level declined to 26% by the end of June 2022. Germany is now replacing Russian gas with LNG to cope with the upcoming winter.
The German government is now constantly in talks with multiple countries to gradually broaden the country’s gas supply. “The gas offering is slowly broadening. The government is permanently in talks with many countries,” Economy Minister Robert Habeck said.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is set for a two-day visit to the Middle East on September 24-25 where potential LNG supply deals with the UAE and Qatar are high on the agenda.
Scholz will also visit Saudi Arabia and hold talks with King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during his tour of the region.
“The talks will probably focus, among other things, on intensifying cooperation in the areas of innovation and IT, energy and questions of regional security,” Scholz’s office said.
German gas storage 90% full ahead of winter
Meanwhile, the gas storage facilities in Germany are more than 90% full as the country continues its efforts to prepare for the upcoming winter, according to data released by the Aggregated Gas Storage Inventory (AGSI).
The German government has planned for 95% of storage capacity to be filled by November 2022 to get through winter without Russian gas imports.
“If everything goes well, savings in Germany are high and if we have a bit of luck with the weather, we will have a chance at getting through the winter comfortably”, Economy Minister Robert Habeck said. “That means, however, that the storage facilities will be empty again at the end of the winter — in this case really empty, because we are going to use the gas,” he added.
Germany also receives natural gas via pipelines from Norway, Belgium and the Netherlands.