Oil and gas will retain a dominant role in the world's energy supply for decades to come. In securing our energy supply, natural gas will play a critical role: It can be used safely and flexibly, there are sufficient supplies, and it is particularly climate-friendly. This makes natural gas the perfect partner for renewable sources of energy – a view shared by Federal and State governments and confirmed by environmental organizations. And natural gas is available: The reserve life of natural gas, if all reserves are taken into account, is well over one hundred years. Supply security is thus guaranteed – for many decades to come.

Renewable sources of energy have two convincing advantages: They are the most environmentally friendly and they are available in limitless quantities. But not all the time, because they are subject to natural fluctuations. Natural gas is the partner that takes over when production from renewables is slows down. Gas can be stored and can therefore compensate for supply bottlenecks at any time. For power generation, the flexibility of natural gas makes it the perfect balancing source of energy when sun, wind, and water cannot produce enough. Modern gas-fired power stations can also be used flexibly, because due to their short start-up times they can respond very quickly to supply fluctuations in renewable power generation and thus guarantee reliable energy supplies. The model of the future is therefore a combination of a natural gas condensing boiler and a solar installation, for example. When the sun does not shine, the gas provides the necessary energy in a way that is climate-friendly, safe, and affordable.  

Natural gas also solves the problems that arise for conventional energy suppliers. This is because it is the cleanest of the fossil fuels and releases significantly less CO2 when burnt. Moreover, it is extremely safe to produce, transport, store, and use.

Natural gas from domestic sources contributes to supply security: Around 15% of our natural gas demand is currently met from deposits in Germany. Wintershall, Germany's biggest oil and gas producer, contributes to this achievement with around 80 years of experience. At the same time, we have set ourselves the task of continuing to contribute to securing gas supplies in the future. In addition to our activities in Europe (around half of the gas consumed in Europe today comes from the countries bordering the North Sea: Norway, the Netherlands, Denmark, Great Britain, and Germany), in Argentina, and increasingly in the Middle East, our involvement in Russia is particularly significant for supplying this important source of energy. Russia alone has more than one third of the world’s natural gas reserves, estimated at more than 180,000 billion cubic meters. Thus the country’s gas resources are even more significant than those of the Middle East. Russia is also the world’s biggest exporter of natural gas. One thing is clear: Europe’s gas supply cannot be guaranteed – now or in the future – without involving the world’s largest country by surface area.

The partnership Wintershall and Gazprom started over 20 years ago has grown into a win-win situation. Together with Gazprom, Wintershall secures a large portion of Germany's and Europe's gas supplies from the sources in Sibiria. These international projects also allow us time and again to contribute our own technical expertise, for example in the Achimgaz joint venture: The gas and condensate deposit, situated at a depth of up to 3,800 meters in the Achimov formation of the Urengoy field, is difficult to develop. Together with Gazprom, we have pooled our resources and are using our technical know-how.

In addition, since 1990, we have created a joint natural gas trading business for Europe together with OAO Gazprom, the world’s largest gas producer. Our cooperation now goes all the way from the sources in Siberia to consumers in Europe. We supply the German and European gas markets through several joint ventures. Our largest joint venture, WINGAS, is one of the most significant gas suppliers in Germany. The long-distance network of WINGAS TRANSPORT, which is over 2,000 kilometers long, connects the natural gas markets in Germany and Western Europe with the natural gas infrastructure that stretches through Eastern Europe and the Russian Federation all the way to the gas wells in Siberia. In addition to the planned South Stream gas pipeline, Nord Stream and its connection pipelines OPAL and NEL will also make a significant contribution to increasing supply security and to covering the increasing needs for imported gas in Germany and Western Europe in the long term. The new pipeline, in whose construction and operation Wintershall is involved, will supply 55 billion cubic meters of gas a year to Germany in the future. This is equivalent to the output of 40 new nuclear or 55 coal-fired power stations. The OPAL is Germany's largest infrastructure project in the last years. The project not only adds prestige, but also creates new jobs and stimulates economic growth. And above all, it provides energy security.