German Economy and Climate Minister Robert Habeck said that “despite difficult conditions, gas tanks are filling up faster than expected.”

In a statement, he explained that the storage target set by the government for October next year at 85 percent “should be reached early next September,” noting that gas reserves now account for 82 percent of their capacity.

In mid-August, the Federal Energy Agency, the energy regulator, questioned the country’s ability to achieve these goals. However, the government said the “precautions” taken by Berlin in recent weeks, especially in the energy sector, in addition to “purchasing huge amounts of gas” from other suppliers, allowed “significant progress to be made.”

Germany is heavily dependent on Russian gas, whose supplies to the country have been sharply reduced since the start of the war with Ukraine. Gas flows through the Nord Stream gas pipeline fell by 20 percent, and the European Union accused Moscow of using energy as a “weapon” in the conflict.

Faced with the threat of gas shortages, last July Berlin set a series of targets to bring gas reserves to 95 percent by November 1, before winter sets in. To this end, the government has taken a number of resource-saving measures, including increased use of coal, reduced consumption in public buildings, and business incentives.