MOSCOW, March 11. /TASS/. Europe has set an absolute record of 67 billion cubic meters (bcm) of liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports in the 2025-2026 heating season, according to TASS calculations based on data from Gas Infrastructure Europe (GIE).

The previous October - March record of 66.6 bcm was set in 2022-2023. Currently, the EU countries have already purchased 66.8 billion cubic meters of LNG, and this figure will continue to grow.

Since the beginning of this year, LNG shipments from terminals to the European gas transportation system have remained at a record level and already exceed 28.5 billion cubic meters.

The record stems from low gas reserves in the underground storages, which play an important role in balancing peak winter gas demand. Currently, the storages are filled by less than a third (the fourth lowest indicator in the history of observations for the current period). In mid-February, the EU countries used up all the gas pumped into the storages in the summer, and are offtaking from the reserves remaining from previous years.

The EU countries may set a new record for LNG purchases in the summer. The previous maximum of 82.8 billion cubic meters was set in the summer season of April - October 2025, which coincides with gas injections into the storages.

However, this time it will be more difficult to fill the gas storages by winter due to a gradual entry into force of the ban on Russian LNG and pipeline gas. Also, the loss of LNG volumes from the Persian Gulf countries due to the Middle East war will intensify Europe's competition with Asia for free LNG supplies.