Germany should consider the idea of a national gas reserve, the head of the country's network regulator said, after months of concern that a drop in Russian gas supplies could spark severe energy shortages in the country.

"Apart from the Gas Storage Act, there is no strategic gas reserve in Germany," the head of the Federal Network Agency, Klaus Mueller, told reporters in Duesseldorf late on Monday, referring to legislation that last year drove state-led gas purchases in global markets to avoid shortfalls. (Reporting by Tom Kaeckenhoff, writing by Vera Eckert, editing by Matthias Williams)