Germany's gas storage facilities filling up faster than planned - Econ Minister

FILE PHOTO: A general view of pipelines on the gas storage facility at the gas trading company VNG AG in Bad Lauchstaedt, Germany July 28, 2022. REUTERS/Annegret Hilse/File Photo

BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany's gas storage facilities are filling up faster than planned, Economy Minister Robert Habeck said, giving hope that Europe's biggest economy could avoid acute gas shortages this winter.

"The reservoirs are filling up faster than specified," Habeck was quoted as saying by Der Spiegel Magazine, adding that the government goal of achieving 85% storage capacity by October could be reached by the beginning of September.