RWE calls for 'strategic' gas reserves as Middle East conflict empties caverns

RWE AG

13/05/2026 09:28

FRANKFURT, May 13 (Reuters) - RWE RWEG.DE, Germany's biggest power producer, has called for a strategic gas reserve to ensure the country's gas caverns can be sufficiently filled for the winter period, warning current levels were too low.

RWE finance chief Michael Mueller said the were currently no incentives to store gas, citing the Middle East conflict that has driven up fuel prices, making the buying and filling of gas caverns significantly less attractive.

A government-led strategic reserve could be a "sensible resilience measure", Mueller told journalists after presenting first-quarter results.

As of May 12, Germany's gas caverns were 28.05% full, according to data from Gas Infrastructure Europe, compared with 35.71% and 68.68% in 2025 and 2024, respectively.

 (Reporting by Christoph Steitz, editing by Kirsti Knolle)

 ((christoph.steitz@thomsonreuters.com; +49 30 220 133 647;))