French authorities told when gas storage facilities will be completely filled

PARIS, 29 Aug – PRIME. French gas storage facilities will be completely filled by the end of summer, Prime Minister Elisabeth Born said at a meeting with French businessmen on Monday.

“We have increased the import capacity of our LNG terminals. We will soon open a new floating terminal in Le Havre. We are increasing gas reserves and our storage facilities will be 100% full by the end of summer,” the French prime minister said.

France has become the fifth EU country where underground storage facilities are filled with gas by more than 90%, according to the latest figures from the Association of Gas Infrastructure Operators of Europe (GIE).

In June, the EU adopted new rules, according to which storage facilities must be filled with blue fuel by at least 80% by November 1, 2022, and in subsequent years – by 90%. In total, 18 out of 27 states in the EU have underground gas reservoirs. Ten countries completed them by more than 80%.

At the end of July, French Cabinet spokesman Olivier Veran said that France was in an “unprecedentedly difficult” situation in terms of electricity generation. The French government has already taken a number of drastic measures to save energy. So, for this purpose, the country expanded the ban on illuminated advertising, and shops were forbidden to keep the doors open when the air conditioner or heating system is running. Retail outlets must turn off illuminated signs and air ventilation at night, dim lighting by 50% before customers arrive, and by 30% during normal hours in case of a critical level of power consumption.