EU gas storage injection exceeds 13 bln cubic meters since April
Quick Look
- EU countries have injected over 13 billion cubic meters of gas into underground storage since April, but facilities are only 40% full, below last year's levels.
- Meeting the 90% target for winter requires 68 billion cubic meters, a significant increase from last year's 55 billion.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
EU countries are preparing for the next heating season by injecting gas into underground storage facilities. Current levels are below those of the previous year, and meeting the required 90% fill target for winter poses a challenge.
MOSCOW, June 1. /TASS/. Net gas injection (the difference between injection and withdrawal volumes) by EU countries into underground gas storage facilities (UGS) since the start of the summer season in April 2026 has already exceeded 13 bln cubic meters, according to TASS calculations based on Gas Infrastructure Europe (GIE) data.
Europe’s UGS facilities are currently more than 40% full, compared with 48% a year earlier, containing 43.9 bln cubic meters of gas.
Earlier, Gazprom pointed to the continuation of Europe’s anti-record lows in gas storage replenishment.
Under European Commission requirements, EU countries must ensure that their gas storage facilities are 90% full between October 1 and December 1 each year. In addition, 10% flexibility is allowed in the event of difficult storage replenishment conditions. Thus, net injection into European storage facilities ahead of the 2026-2027 autumn-winter season must amount to at least 68 bln cubic meters to meet the filling target. A year earlier, Europe managed to reach only around 55 bln cubic meters.
The current summer season will likely proceed amid higher fuel prices due to intensified competition with Asia for available liquefied natural gas volumes on the market following the escalation of the Middle East conflict. Gazprom has forecast that Europe’s gas reserves in UGS facilities may fail to even reach 70% by the next heating season.
As TASS reported earlier, Europe completed the heating season in early April. It became the second-longest heating season since records began in 2011, lasting 173 days. It was surpassed only by the 2020-2021 heating season, which lasted an unprecedented 190 days. Net withdrawals during the past heating season exceeded 61 bln cubic meters, which was 6.5 bln cubic meters more than the volumes injected last summer.
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
Europe's gas reserves in UGS facilities may fail to reach 70% by the next heating season.
Likely · Within months
Higher fuel prices due to intensified competition with Asia for available LNG volumes.
Very likely · Short term
Open Questions
- Will the EU be able to secure sufficient LNG volumes to meet its storage targets?
- What will be the precise impact of the Middle East conflict on global LNG supply and prices?
- How will Gazprom's forecasts regarding Europe's gas reserves in UGS facilities by the next heating season play out?
- What specific measures will EU countries take to address potential shortfalls in gas storage?
