Germany imported 12.3% less natural gas in 2022 than the previous year, at 1,449 terawatt hours (TWh), as the withdrawal of Russian export supplies of fossil fuels triggered an energy crisis, the country's energy regulator said on Friday.
Norway took over from Russia as the number one supplier, accounting for 33% of the total volume, with Russia supplying 22%, the regulator said in a statement.
Russia, which had contributed 52% of German gas imports in 2021, cut deliveries via the important Nord Stream 1 pipeline successively by 60%, then 80%, with flows falling to zero at the start of September after the line was damaged.
"The missing gas shipments from Russia were partly compensated by additional imports, among other origins, via the Netherlands, Belgium and Norway," the statement said.
The Berlin government has also rushed through provisions for liquefied natural gas (LNG) to arrive on board ships to plug gaps. The tighter situation in Germany meant it curbed exports to neighbouring countries that a formerly generous supply of Russian energy had traditionally allowed, although lower demand elsewhere also reduced shipments, the regulator noted.
Total German gas exports amounted to 501 TWh, down by a third from 749 TWh a year earlier. Consumption meanwhile fell by 14%, helped by temperatures that on average were 1.1 degrees Celsius above the average of the preceding four years. Germany's gas storage levels currently stand at a comfortable 90.72%, way above the 40% threshold that the regulator deems critical at the start of February.
However, filling the caverns again after the winter season in the course of 2023 will remain a challenge, given the big picture uncertainties over Germany's general supply situation, the statement added.
Benchmark Dutch front-month gas TRNLTTFMc1 was up 8.8% on Friday at 74.6 euros per megawatt hour (MWh). The price is around half its most recent peak in early December and 78% below its level in late August when prices soared ahead of the Nord Stream 1 maintenance outage.
Norway displaces Russia https://tmsnrt.rs/3jVXuxw
(Reuters - Reporting by Vera Eckert/Additional reporting by Tom Sims,Editing by Rachel More and Frances Kerry)