Federal Minister for Economic Affairs suspends alert level in gas emergency plan

Berlin. Federal Minister of Economic Affairs and Energy Katherina Reiche has suspended the alert level in the gas emergency plan. The first stage of the plan, the early warning level, is now in effect again, the CDU politician said in Berlin. The conditions for the alert level are no longer met. The security of the gas supply is high. In June 2022, a few months after the start of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine, then-Economics Minister Robert Habeck (Greens) declared the alert level of the emergency plan. The reason was cuts in gas supplies from Russia.

The alert level is the second of three levels of the plan and includes various measures. Network operators are to take action if necessary. The alert level indicates a disruption to the natural gas supply or an exceptionally high demand for natural gas, leading to a significant deterioration in the natural gas supply situation.

Reiche spoke of good news. The energy crisis caused by the Russian war of aggression had been successfully overcome. She pointed to new supply routes through the development of an LNG infrastructure and the diversification of the gas supply. Gas prices had stabilized, and gas storage facilities were contributing to security of supply. "We will continue to do everything we can to ensure the gas supply remains secure," she said. Given the overall security of supply, government-sponsored filling of the storage facilities by Trading Hub Europe was unnecessary.

RND/dpa