A reserve for all eventualities
The future of energy supply is one of the central issues of our time. Where will energy come from in future? How reliable will energy sources be? How much energy will be needed and for what? Natural gas storage facilities play an important role in answering these questions
Safe storage underground
Natural gas storage facilities are underground cavities, meaning that geological formations are used to store the natural gas from where it originates – in the earth, in pore storage facilities or caverns at depths of between several hundred and 2,000 metres. These natural reservoirs have the advantage that they provide large storage areas for natural gas from which stored gas can be withdrawn at any time with as little intervention in the natural landscape as possible. Should situations arise in which the flow of gas through the international transport routes is not sufficiently secure to ensure that the demand can be met, these natural gas storage facilities provide an important emergency reserve.
Gas reserves for fluctuating levels of consumption
The natural gas storage facilities do not only back-up the supply in the case of supply fluctuations, i.e. supply bottlenecks. The natural gas storage facilities also form an important buffer for fluctuations in demand, i.e. consumption. On the one hand, these levels vary due to daily and seasonal temperature changes, which again influence levels heating in private and commercial buildings, for example. On the other hand, consumption also varies due to economic influences, e.g. when the demand in industries rises or falls. The natural gas storage facilities help to reliably maintain the supply despite such fluctuations.
37 caverns for private households and the economy
We operate storage facilities with a total of 37 caverns. In the Weser-Ems region we use the Huntorf and Leer-Jemgum (Nüttermoor) salt domes and in Brandenburg the Rüdersdorf salt pillow as sites for natural gas storage. Our customers can book capacities for H-gas and L-gas in the caverns and use them accordingly in the market as flexibility instruments and to ensure security of supply. As soon as a demand arises, our customers can make gas available from their reserves. EWE GASSPEICHER, with its experience and expertise in the construction and operation of natural gas storage facilities since the mid-1970s, ensures that this is achieved smoothly and competitively and that consumers can be supplied with natural gas safely and adequately at all times.