MOSCOW, July 14. /TASS/. Europe continues to import record volumes of liquefied natural gas (LNG), with deliveries to the region exceeding 45 bln cubic meters (bcm) since the end of the heating season in early April, according to data from Gas Infrastructure Europe (GIE), including revised June figures.

As of July 12, gas injections into the European Union’s underground storage facilities (UGS) amounted to 427 mln cubic meters, while withdrawals fell to 23 mln cubic meters, GIE data show. The total volume of gas in storage currently ranks only seventh-highest for the month of July in recorded history, standing at 68.6 bcm, which is 22% below the level recorded a year ago.

Currently, Europe’s UGS facilities are 62.58% full, which is 9.14 percentage points below the five-year average for this date and well below the 80.6% mark registered at the same time last year. Under European Commission regulations, EU member states must reach 90% storage capacity by November 1 each year. This requirement is providing additional upward pressure on gas prices across European markets.

According to TASS estimates, Europe needs to inject a net volume of no less than 61 bcm over the upcoming storage season to meet this 90% target. This would represent an increase of nearly 50% compared to net injections during the same period last year and would be one of the highest figures ever recorded.

This week is expected to be noticeably warmer across Europe compared to the last. In June, wind power accounted for an average of 15% of the EU’s electricity generation; in July, that share has declined to around 12%. The average gas purchase price in Europe stood at approximately $439 per thousand cubic meters in June and is expected to be around $415 in July.

During the most recent heating season, Europe imported nearly 63 bcm of LNG, marking the third-highest figure for this period on record. Higher volumes of regasified gas were injected into the EU’s transmission network from LNG terminals only during the two preceding winter seasons.

Following GIE’s data revision, Europe’s LNG imports in June reached an all-time high of 14.8 bcm, while July imports are continuing at a record-setting pace for the month. Regasification capacity utilization currently stands at 54% of maximum throughput. Since April, total LNG imports by EU member states this summer have already exceeded 45 bcm.