E ON SE : Expansion of 7Fields gas storage facility enhances supply security in Germany and Austria

E.ON commissioned the second expansion phase of 7Fields gas storage facility in Upper Austria and Salzburg on April 1, 2014, increasing the facility's storage capacity to 1.85 billion cubic meters. Thanks to its connection to the German and Austria pipeline systems, 7Fields provides E.ON customers with maximum flexibility. The expansion makes E.ON Gas Storage GmbH Austria's second-largest marketer of gas storage capacity.

7Fields gas storage facility, a joint venture, entered service 2011. The second expansion phase, which became operational on April 1, 2014, increased the facility's working gas capacity by 685 million cubic meters. E.ON Gas Storage GmbH now markets a total storage capacity of 1.73 billion cubic meters at the facility, giving customers in Germany and Austria access to a storage facility with a high degree of availability and flexibility. The expansion of the facility's storage capacity enables E.ON Gas Storage to safeguard the annual gas consumption of more than 800,000 households.

"In a difficult market environment, we provide innovative and individually tailored storage services that provide our customers with the best-possible support in optimizing their portfolios," E.ON Gas Storage Managing Director Nicole Otterberg says in explanation of the investment decision for the second expansion phase. "7Fields storage facility is unique in Europe in that it offers access to different markets and a cross-border storage capability," says Michael Schmöltzer, the director of E.ON Gas Storage's operations in Austria.

The 7Fields storage project is a joint venture of E.ON Gas Storage and Rohöl-Aufsuchungs Aktiengesellschaft (RAG), which also serves as technical operator.

Background

Storage facilities play a key role in the natural gas market. They balance out seasonal fluctuations in demand and safeguard against supply shortages. They therefore ensure supply security and provide flexibility to participants in the wholesale gas market.

E.ON Gas Storage is an E.ON Group company engaged in the construction and operation of underground gas storage facilities, the gas storage business in Europe, and the provision of storage capacity to the European market. It pools the E.ON Group's decades of experience and full range of expertise in gas storage. It has storage capacity at 17 underground storage facilities located in the United Kingdom, Germany, and Austria, giving it a total working gas capacity of more than 8 billion cubic meters.