MOSCOW, June 4. /TASS/. The replenishment of natural gas reserves in European underground storage (UGS) facilities is progressing more slowly than usual, prompting concerns over a potentially strained situation. In order to reach the target fill level of 90% by November 1, Europe will need to accelerate the pace of gas injection, Gazprom reported.

"To achieve the target 90% fill level of Europe’s UGS facilities by November 1, 2025, European operators will need to inject 41.9 bln cubic meters of gas over the next five months. This is 1.5 times more than was injected during the same period last year," the company stated.

Gazprom further noted that in order to meet the target, European operators must ramp up injection rates, an effort that will need to take place amid scheduled maintenance work on Europe’s gas infrastructure during the summer months.

According to Gazprom, 8.9 bln cubic meters of gas were injected into European UGS facilities in May, which 1.1 bln cubic meters less than the average for that month over the past ten years (the 2015-2024 seasons). As of May 31, the volume of active gas in European UGS facilities amounted to 48.6 bln cubic meters, which is 1.5 times less (by 21.8 bln cubic meters) than on the same date last year.