MOSCOW, October 27. /TASS/. Europe continues to import record volumes of liquefied natural gas (LNG), with deliveries to the region since the start of the summer season in April exceeding 80 bln cubic meters, according to data from Gas Infrastructure Europe (GIE). Against the backdrop of a slight warming trend, European countries have resumed injecting gas into underground storage (UGS) facilities, although the rate of injection only slightly exceeds withdrawals.

According to GIE, gas withdrawals from EU underground storage facilities on October 25 totaled 71 mln cubic meters, while injections reached 109 mln cubic meters. The total volume of gas stored - 91.5 bln cubic meters - ranks as only the ninth-highest for October in the entire history of observations.

The previous gas withdrawal season in Europe ended on March 28, 2025, when reserves stood at 33.57% of capacity. As of now, European UGS facilities are filled to 82.89%, or 9.11 percentage points below the five-year average for this date and significantly lower than 95.2% a year earlier. Since the start of the heating season on October 13, EU member states have withdrawn more than 1 bln cubic meters of gas from storage. Net withdrawals currently amount to around 250 mln cubic meters. At the same time, cumulative withdrawals 13 days after reaching the seasonal storage peak are 35% below the five-year average for this point in the cycle.

Under European Commission requirements, EU countries must ensure that their gas storage facilities are filled to 90% between October 1 and December 1 each year. A 10% flexibility margin is permitted in cases of difficult storage conditions. However, net gas injections into European storage facilities at the beginning of the autumn-winter period totaled only 54.7 bln cubic meters, short of the 61 bln cubic meters required to meet the mandated fill target.

Earlier, Gazprom predicted that the European Union could face gas supply challenges during cold spells due to insufficient storage levels. In addition, Gazprom CEO Alexey Miller noted that long-term weather forecasts indicate an approaching abnormally cold winter in both Europe and Russia, an event that occurs roughly once every 20 years.

Weather in Europe this week is expected to be warmer than during the previous seven-day period. The share of wind generation in EU electricity output averaged 19% in September and about 20% in October. The average gas purchase price in Europe stood at approximately $393 per 1,000 cubic meters in September and around $386 in October.

LNG Imports

Since the start of the summer season in April, Europe has imported record volumes of LNG, with total deliveries to the region exceeding 80 bln cubic meters, according to TASS calculations. This figure marks the highest level ever recorded for the April-October period.

LNG imports in September set an all-time record for that month. Currently, regasification capacity utilization stands at 48% of its maximum.