Despite a drop in temperatures across Czechia last week, gas reserves in the country remained at the second-highest level since 2014, the country’s Minister of Industry and Trade Jozef Síkela announced on Twitter on Tuesday.
The Czech government is trying to reduce gas consumption due to supply problems linked to Russia’s military invasion of Ukraine; it is aiming to save 15 percent of gas this winter, equivalent to 800 million cubic meters. So far, more than 180 million cubic meters have been saved.
As of Tuesday, domestic reservoirs across the country are holding 2.9 billion cubic meters of gas and are at 84 percent total capacity.
“According to our data, last week was the second coldest in the last four years,” Síkela said. Gas consumption was thus about 7 percent higher than in previous years. “However, it corresponded to weeks when the average temperature was approximately five degrees higher,” the minister noted.
Czechia was covered in snow last week, with temperatures falling well below zero, especially in the second half of the week. “The fact that we passed the first difficult test is also reflected in the price of gas, which fell below €110 per megawatt hour (MWh),” the minister added.
According to the forecast of the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute (ČHMÚ), the freezing weather is coming to an end, with Christmas Day expected to be approximately 11 degrees Celsius. The high daytime temperatures for this time of year should last well into the beginning of next week, and it is not expected to drop below freezing at night either.
The total capacity of domestic reservoirs is 3.5 billion cubic meters of gas. It is stored there by private companies that deliver the raw material to their customers. Among the main players are RWE Gas Storage and MND.
