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Gas reserves in European UGS facilities down below 80%

Amid a cold snap in mid-November, gas withdrawals from UGS facilities have reached a record level for the period

MOSCOW, November 24. /TASS/. Gas reserves in underground gas storage (UGS) facilities across Europe have fallen below 80%, according to Gas Infrastructure Europe (GIE) data. Amid a cold snap in mid-November, gas withdrawals from UGS facilities have reached a record level for the period, slightly below the historical maximum for the month.

Gas withdrawal from UGS facilities in EU countries amounted to 666 mln cubic meters (mcm) on November 21, according to GIE. Gas volumes in UGS facilities total 87.4 bln cubic meters (bcm).

European UGS facilities are currently 79.1% full (almost 10 percentage points lower than the average as of this date in the past five years) compared to 88.3% in the previous year. Since the heating season started on October 13, EU countries have withdrawn around 7.5 bcm of gas from storage facilities. However, net withdrawal amounts to around 4.4 bcm.

The European Commission requests EU members to make sure that their UGS facilities are 90% full from October 1 to December 1 of each year for ensuring elevated reserves for the winter period to be prepared for interrupted supplies or abnormally cold weather. Moreover, a 10% flexibility is allowed in the event of difficult filling conditions for underground gas storage facilities. However, net injection into European storage facilities by the beginning of the autumn-winter period amounted to only 54.7 bcm of the 61 bcm required to meet the filling standard.

The weather in Europe this week is expected to be slightly warmer than in the previous seven-day period, but colder temperatures may return by the weekend. The share of wind generation in the EU’s electricity output averaged 21% in October, and it has been at around 19% in November. The gas price averaged $384 per 1,000 cubic meters in Europe in October, and around $374 in November.

In October, Europe set an all-time record for liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports for that month, and it is on track for a record-breaking month in November as well. Overall, during the summer season from April to October, the EU purchased a record 82.5 bcm of LNG. Facilities for regasification of liquefied gas are loaded by 53% of their capacity now.

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