The gas turnover rates that can be achieved from such reservoirs are dependent on the dimensions and design of the original exploitation wells and on the properties of the reservoir. To increase gas turnover rates, especially in thin rock layers, new wells are increasingly being drilled in such a way that the lower section of the well runs horizontally along the storage formation. This provides a considerably larger flow area for the gas along with significantly higher injection and withdrawal rates.

When depleted fields are used for natural gas storage, the possibility of any residual gases mixing with the injected gas cannot be excluded. Measures for avoiding quality problems (e.g. by increasing the cushion gas volume of storage gas) may have to be considered, depending on the differences in composition of any residual gas and the storage gas. This is also why gas processing plants are sometimes installed at the surface to guarantee that the gas re-injected into the pipeline has the same quality as the pipeline gas.

Depending on their storage characteristics, depleted fields work equally well for the seasonal balancing of natural gas supply and for peak shaving.