Berlin says no intervention needed to fill gas storage sites

The ministry also pointed to imports via pipelines as well as liquefied natural gas terminals - an option Germany did not have during its 2022 energy crisis.

As of September 1, underground gas caverns in Germany were 53% full, the lowest in 15 years of records, lobby group INES said.

Energy companies and traders usually store gas during the summer, when prices are lower, but the Iran war has driven up prices, making the storing less lucrative compared to selling it on the market.

BERLIN, Sept 8 (Reuters) - No government intervention is needed to raise German gas storage levels, the economy ministry said in a document prepared for a parliament committee meeting, after a lobby group warned of shortages if the coming winter is extremely cold.

"Based on the current volume-based assessment, storage levels in the range of 60% to 70% at the start of winter, together with further import options, will be sufficient to meet the expected winter demand," the ministry said in the document for the economic affairs committee, which was due to hold a special meeting on Tuesday evening.

The ministry added that there is a price and volatility risk if elevated prices persist in the wake of the Iran war. "This must be distinguished from a physical gas shortage," said the document seen by Reuters.