Europe already injected 4 bln cubic meters of gas into storage for next winter

MOSCOW, April 29. /TASS/. Net gas injections (the difference between volumes injected and withdrawn) by EU countries into underground gas storage (UGS) facilities since the start of the summer season in April 2026 have already reached nearly 4 bln cubic meters, according to TASS calculations based on data from Gas Infrastructure Europe (GIE). European UGS facilities are currently 31.97% full, holding around 35 bln cubic meters of gas. Under European Commission requirements, EU countries must ensure their gas storage facilities are filled to 90% between October 1 and December 1 each year. In addition, a 10% flexibility margin is allowed in case of difficult storage-filling conditions. Thus, net injections into European storage ahead of the autumn-winter period of 2026 - 2027 must amount to at least 68 bln cubic meters to meet the required level. A year earlier, Europe managed to reach only about 55 bln cubic meters. The current summer season is likely to see higher fuel prices due to intensified competition with Asia for available liquefied natural gas (LNG) volumes amid the Middle East conflict. Earlier, Gazprom forecast that gas reserves in Europe’s UGS facilities may not even reach 70% ahead of the next heating season. Earlier, TASS reported that Europe effectively completed the heating season in early April, which became the second-longest since records began in 2011, lasting 173 days. It was surpassed only by the 2020 - 2021 heating season, which lasted an unmatched 190 days. Net withdrawals during the past heating season exceeded 61 bln cubic meters, which is 6.5 bln cubic meters more than the volumes injected last summer.