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Gas injection rates in European storages 20% below last year in June

The UGS facilities in Europe are currently 42.5% full against 51% a year earlier

MOSCOW, June 9. /TASS/. The rates of natural gas injection by EU countries into underground storage facilities (UGS) in June turn out to be 20% lower than last year, according to TASS estimates based on data from Gas Infrastructure Europe (GIE).

The total injection of gas into European storage facilities since the beginning of the month is 2.4 billion cubic meters (minus 20% compared to last year). This figure is also 8% lower than the average rate of filling UGS facilities on this date throughout the history of observations.

UGS facilities in Europe are currently 42.5% full against 51% a year earlier. They contain 46.5 billion cubic meters of gas. Europe continues setting anti-records in filling its UGS, Russian gas holding Gazprom said earlier.

According to the requirements of the European Commission, EU countries must ensure that their storage facilities are filled with gas by 90% in the period from October 1 to December 1 each year. In addition, 10% flexibility is allowed in the case of difficult conditions for filling UGS. Accordingly, the net injection rate into European storage facilities by the beginning of the winter period of 2026-2027 should amount to at least 68 billion cubic meters to meet the filling rate. A year earlier, Europe was able to reach only about 55 billion cubic meters.

The current summer season will be held with higher fuel prices due to the struggle for free volumes of liquefied natural gas in the market with Asia, which has escalated as a result of the Middle East conflict. Gazprom predicted that gas reserves in UGS facilities in Europe by the next heating season may not even reach 70%.

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