MOSCOW, July 6. /TASS/. Gas stocks in European underground gas storage (UGS) facilities have exceeded 50% but remain at their lowest level in the last five years, according to TASS calculations based on Gas Infrastructure Europe (GIE) data.

At the same time, net gas injection (the net difference between injection and withdrawal volumes) by EU countries into UGS facilities since the beginning of July has also been at a six-year low.

Europe’s daily liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports fell to a 22-month low in early July 2026 despite a heatwave and the need to replenish depleted underground gas storage facilities. Since the beginning of July, LNG flows from European terminals into the EU gas transmission system have dropped by 34% compared to the same period a year earlier. Specifically, on July 2, daily LNG imports fell to their lowest level since September 2024, totaling 231 mln cubic meters.

European UGS facilities are currently 50.03% full (15.05 percentage points below the five-year average for this date), compared to 60% in the previous year. They hold 54.7 bln cubic meters of gas, which is 11 bln cubic meters less than last year’s reserves.

The European Commission requests EU members to make sure their UGS facilities are 90% full in the period from October 1 to December 1 of each year, with 10% flexibility allowed in the event of difficult UGS filling conditions. Thus, net injection into European storage facilities by the start of the 2026-2027 autumn-winter period must reach at least 68 bcm to meet the filling standard.

To date, Europe has injected 35% of the volume required for the upcoming winter, 24 bln cubic meters, into its UGS facilities.