In March 2022, the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs put Russia’s current share of German gas imports at 55 percent. Russia also supplied about half of Germany’s coal imports and about 35 percent of its oil imports. By mid-April, the share of Russian gas had fallen to about 35 percent. On 25 March 2022, the Bundestag passed a gas storage law. It fixed fill levels by date: 80 percent on 1 October, 90 percent on 1 November and 40 percent on 1 February. The law still sets fill levels by date. Since 2025, an ordinance has lowered the target for 1 November to 80 percent, and to 45 percent for some storage sites.
The reserve was written into law only after the gap had opened. It took the form of percentages tied to dates in the calendar.