July 07, 2026 [Reuters]- Germany’s Economy Ministry is drawing up plans for a state-owned ​strategic gas reserve to be used in emergencies, ‌it said on Tuesday, confirming an earlier Reuters report.

The reserve would hold around 24 terawatt-hours (TWh) of gas, equivalent to just under 10% ​of Germany’s total gas storage capacity, and would ​be financed through a levy on gas consumers, the ⁠ministry said.

The reserve is intended to protect against extreme ​situations, such as sabotage of critical energy infrastructure or a ​severe global gas shortage.

The ministry said gas purchases would be spread over two to three years to minimise any impact on prices. The ​first storage bookings are scheduled for the winter of ​2026/27, with initial filling due to begin in the summer of 2027.

Germany ‌has ⁠sought to strengthen energy security since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine triggered a scramble to replace Russian gas supplies and exposed vulnerabilities in Europe’s energy infrastructure.

A person familiar with the ​matter previously ​told Reuters that ⁠the cost of building the reserve, buying the gas and injecting it into storage ​was estimated at between €1.2 billion and €1.5 billion ($1.4 billion-$1.7 ​billion), ⁠spread across 2027 and 2028.

The source said annual operating costs were estimated at between €150 million and €180 million, and that the ⁠plans ​were expected to be approved by ​the cabinet in mid-August.