MOSCOW, October 4. /TASS/. Withdrawal of gas from European underground gas storage (UGS) facilities has exceeded pumping into them for the first time this fall, having reached a record level for early October. The gas price on the exchange in Europe is $450 per 1,000 cubic meters.

Gas pumping into UGS facilities in EU countries amounted to 65 mln cubic meters on October 2, according to data provided by Gas Infrastructure Europe (GIE). Meanwhile, withdrawal equaled 103 mln cubic meters.

European UGS facilities are currently 94.33% full (3.8 percentage points higher than the average as of this date in the past five years), with 104.66 bln cubic meters of gas stored in them.

Total LNG supplies from terminals to Europe’s gas transport system in August hit the lowest level since October 2021, though they returned to growth in September. Facilities for regasification of liquefied gas and its further pumping into Europe’s pipelines are loaded by 38% of their capacity now. The gas purchase price averaged $416 per 1,000 cubic meters in Europe in September and around $448 in October.