[Germany Lowers Winter Gas Storage Forecast, Says 60% to 70% Inventory is Sufficient] Germany's Ministry of Economic Affairs stated that natural gas storage levels of 60% to 70% at the start of winter would be sufficient to meet demand, indicating that Europe's largest energy consumer will not have much buffer in the face of supply disruption risks. "At the start of winter, storage levels of 60% to 70%, coupled with additional import capacity, should generally be sufficient to meet average winter demand," the ministry said in a statement on Thursday. The ministry added that if energy supply security is threatened, the government "can and will respond." Europe has struggled to replenish its natural gas reserves this year due to disruptions in gas supplies from the Middle East, making stockpiling less attractive to utilities and traders. Current storage levels across the continent are below normal for this period, with the average fill rate of storage facilities across the EU slightly above 61%, the lowest level for this time of year since records began in 2009. Germany, the region's largest storage market, has a storage facility fill rate of only about 50%.
