Portugal is the EU country with the fullest gas reserves
The natural gas storage capacity in Portugal is at 100%, which places the country at the top of the European Union markets with the highest levels of used reserves, reaching almost twice the European average. These larger numbers have the time when Russia has already started to close to several countries than the response to several countries have the help of a continent as a response to new countries and to the continent that them in response to countries even though the countries in which of Europe provide support to Ukraine.
On June 25, the most current data, “national stocks” total 100% of storage capacity, according to the Gas Infrastructure Europe (GIE) platform, which data from European Union countries with reserves of this energy source. Only Poland achieves almost similar figures (97%), followed by Denmark (78.73%), the Czech Republic (74.77%) and Spain (72%). Germany, which is already suffering from the reduction of Russian gas and allowing energy rationing, has almost 60%. On the opposite side of the list, a position that Portugal came to occupy last October, are Sweden (31%) and Bulgaria (34%).
The war in Ukraine plunged Europe into an energy crisis. And given the threats from Russia in countries that have cut off the supply of natural gas, several have to find alternative solutions in order to try to reinforce stocks so that there are no supply problems in winter, when this energy source is more consumed. And, despite being dependent on Russian, Portugal is not exceeded by having unreinforced reinforcements at the same storage by 11 percent compared to May and by 35 percent compared to last year’s gas.
Asked by the DN/DV about the reinforcement of storage in Caves do Carro, located near Pombal, REN explains “the levels of stocks currently selected in the management infrastructure stem from the options for commercialization in the current context of the energy market”. And according to the manager of national reserves “each supplier may have specific possibilities, but this general behavior will indicate that it will be a tide of anticipation strategies in view of the prospects for the evolution of the global gas market”.
The Ministry of the Environment recalled that “Portugal lives in a scenario of a greater diversity of gas origins, not only when compared to the 2010 scenario with the supply of gas origins dominated by two [Argélia e Nigéria]but also with several EU Member States given the greater weight of liquefied natural gas (LNG) in the supply of natural gas”.
order to attest
To date, natural gas reserves by storage capacity in the European Union stands at 55.71%, taking into account the 44.66% recorded last month and an average of 45.94% in June 201. However, insufficiently given the problems of Russian supply to Europe, which more than 40% of natural gas loads. Bearing in mind the latter, to avoid next winter, the European Parliament and the European Parliament in accordance with the week new rules, in the proposal presented by the Gas Commission and with the States.
By November 1, European Union facilities must reach at least 0% capacity. Thus, “90% of Member States and the next supply problems will still be reached at 90% in order to protect EU citizens from possible supply problems” “, stressed the European Parliament.
As Carriço reserves the 1000% storage facility of the national caves, the Portugal goal is in a comfortable position to fulfill this and enter winter with a good safety net. However, the maximum Portuguese storage capacity is lower than in most EU countries, given the size of the national economy and its lower dependence on natural gas as an energy source. But given the current energy crisis scenario, might it be necessary for Portugal to give in to other countries? “This supply facility also does not work from the security of the supply states of the national system, but also from the supply of the security states of the natural elements may have been interrupted” However, the same highlighted source that considers the nature of this matter this decision will result, also, from an articulated position within the EU, where there will be a vision of global security of energy supply”.
