Low EU gas stocks prompt Swiss taskforce to seek winter solutions

Low gas storage levels in the European Union are making Switzerland’s supply for the winter of 2026-27 a challenge, SRF reported. A taskforce involving the Swiss government and the country’s gas industry is meeting weekly to look for solutions.

European countries normally fill their storage facilities with cheaper gas during the summer and sell it in winter, when demand is higher. But the war in Iran is currently driving up gas prices, slowing gas production and making it more difficult or impossible to transport liquefied gas through the Strait of Hormuz. Strong demand for gas in Asia is adding to the pressure.

Storage operators in Europe, particularly in Germany, are therefore buying gas only very cautiously. Storage facilities are currently around 58 percent full, a very low level compared with the past five years.

Switzerland depends on these facilities because it has no large storage sites of its own. Gas accounts for around 12 percent of the country’s energy needs over the year, with demand particularly high in winter. “Supply for the winter of 2026-27 is proving challenging,” the Swiss government wrote in its latest report on the country’s economic supply situation.

Janos Kick, a spokesman for the Swiss Gas Industry Association, confirmed to SRF that the taskforce has increased the frequency of its meetings. “They meet weekly and discuss possible measures. However, it is still too early to communicate them,” he said.

The government and the industry are seeking alternatives to buy additional gas for Switzerland and bring it into the country. Their aim is to prevent a gas shortage, which could lead to measures such as quotas for businesses.

Swiss gas suppliers have been required by the government since 2022 to store 15 percent of annual demand in European gas storage facilities. The association says that even with this reserve, Switzerland could face a supply bottleneck on cold winter days if storage levels remain low. Additional solutions are therefore needed.

Germany is currently discussing a plan for the state to purchase reserves equal to 10 percent of the country’s gas demand. However, that measure would take effect no earlier than the winter after next.