Germany’s federal economy minister, Katharina Reiche of the CDU, announced plans to secure gas supplies in case of extraordinary crises. She told “Handelsblatt” in its Thursday edition that the government wants to introduce a crisis instrument for the winter of 2027.

When asked whether a strategic gas reserve modeled after Austria’s would be the best option, Reiche said the ministry is carefully evaluating which tool would be most appropriate. She explained that market dynamics should not be mixed with rare crises that could be triggered by sabotage or other extreme events. “Unfortunately, some voices are consciously accepting the conflation of the two cases” the CDU minister added.

Reiche also mentioned that the upcoming winter should have ample storage bookings and that supply will be protected through multiple delivery routes.