The winter has just ended, but within the next few months work will begin on filling the two Danish gas storage facilities again before next winter. According to Frederik Engholm, Chief Strategist at Nykredit, we are well prepared for this.
- We see a very high probability that we will have abundantly filled storage facilities when we hit next winter.
He estimates that with fairly normal consumption from here, we can have more than 50 percent filled storage facilities when they need to be filled. This is approximately double the status when we started filling them last year.
This otherwise created fears of a shortage of gas when Russia turned off the taps to Europe after the invasion of Ukraine. But things have gone better than feared.
At the Danish Energy Agency, Deputy Director Martin Hansen estimates that we will have more gas in the two Danish storage facilities than normal when they need to be filled again. He cannot put a percentage on it, but points out that the less we use in the future, the less we will have to fill up:
- If we continue to save, our scenarios show that enough gas will be filled in storage to get us through next winter without interrupting gas customers.
But if we consume as usual, it will be "tricky" to avoid it, he says. It is the mild weather and a great desire to save that have meant that we are well prepared in advance.
Had the energy crisis come earlier, the situation for Denmark would have been different, as we are normally a net exporter of gas via the Tyra field in the North Sea. But it is under renovation and is not expected to reopen until the winter of 2023/24.
The Russian gas has been replaced by liquefied natural gas. Among other things, from the USA. Here we have been helped by the fact that economic activity in China has been down, which could otherwise have led to more demand for gas. However, the situation may be different when the stocks are to be filled again.
The Danish Energy Agency is closely monitoring developments. Deputy Director Martin Hansen points out that it is important that people and companies continue to save. The situation in winter depends on many things. For example, the summer.
- I am not going to say that there are no problems. But the picture looks more positive than it did before Christmas, he says.
/ritzau/
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