MOSCOW, January 26. /TASS/. Net withdrawal of gas from underground gas storage (UGS) facilities in Europe has exceeded 40 bln cubic meters (bcm) since the beginning of the heating season, representing more than 75% of the volumes injected during the summer, according to data from Gas Infrastructure Europe (GIE).

Gas withdrawal from UGS facilities in EU countries amounted to around 677 mln cubic meters (mcm) on January 24. The total rate of withdrawal from storage facilities since the beginning of the month has lost record pace and is currently the third-highest for January. The total volume of fuel in UGS facilities currently stands at 50.4 bcm.

Temperatures in Europe are expected to be uneven this week. Relatively warm weather is forecast for the first half of the week after last week's frost, but temperatures could drop again by the weekend. The share of wind power in the EU’s electricity generation averaged 20% in December 2025, and it has been at 19% in January 2026. The gas purchase price in Europe has averaged $394 per 1,000 cubic meters in January, up from $334 in December amid a cold snap. Prices are at their highest since last spring.

European UGS facilities are currently 45.59% full (15.12 percentage points lower than the average as of this date in the past five years) compared to 56.5% in the previous year. Since the heating season started on October 13, 2025, EU countries have withdrawn around 46 bcm of gas from storage facilities. Net withdrawal has reached 41 bcm.