Skip to content
You can now search across every topic, entity and event.What's new
Bad Lauchstädt
Nation / PlaceDE

Bad Lauchstädt

German storage hub combining cavern and depleted-reservoir gas storage; one of six sites given a reduced 45% fill target.

Bad Lauchstädt pairs 17 salt caverns with a depleted reservoir under one roof in Saxony-Anhalt, a hybrid rare among German sites; since 30 April 2025 its fill target under the national storage ordinance has stood at 45%, not 80%.

Last refreshed: 31 July 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic

Timeline for Bad Lauchstädt

View full timeline →

Background

Bad Lauchstädt has stored gas in Saxony-Anhalt since 1976, running 17 salt caverns alongside a neighbouring depleted reservoir on shared surface plant, a combination that lets it draw on both the fast cycling of caverns and the bulk hold of a reservoir. Its maximum working gas volume of 12.6 TWh makes it one of the larger sites in the group, sitting within the VGS hub alongside Bernburg with ONTRAS Gastransport running the connecting grid.

Germany's Gasspeicherfüllstandsverordnung, in force since 5 May 2025, sets most cavern sites an 80% fill target for 1 November; Bad Lauchstädt is one of six named exceptions held to 45% instead, a lighter obligation than its scale might suggest.

Common Questions
What kind of gas storage is Bad Lauchstädt?
Bad Lauchstädt combines 17 salt caverns with a neighbouring depleted gas reservoir on shared surface infrastructure, with a maximum working gas volume of 12.6 TWh.Source: VNG Gasspeicher
Why does Bad Lauchstädt have a lower gas storage target than other German sites?
It is one of six pore-storage-linked sites named in Germany's Gasspeicherfüllstandsverordnung with a reduced 45% fill requirement for 1 November, instead of the 80% target most cavern sites must meet.Source: Bundeswirtschaftsministerium
What is the Bad Lauchstädt Energy Park hydrogen project?
Bad Lauchstädt hosts a consortium of Uniper, VNG Gasspeicher, ONTRAS and DBI Freiberg piloting green hydrogen production and storage, feeding a 20-kilometre pipeline to chemical plants at Leuna.Source: VNG Gasspeicher / HYPOS
Who operates Bad Lauchstädt gas storage?
VNG Gasspeicher GmbH (VGS) operates the Bad Lauchstädt site's salt-cavern field, with ONTRAS Gastransport running the connecting pipeline network into Saxony-Anhalt.Source: VNG Gasspeicher