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Gas injection into European storage facilities in August hits six-year low

Since the beginning of April, Europe has managed to inject only 56% of the volumes needed for the upcoming winter season

MOSCOW, August 25. /TASS/. Net gas injections (the difference between volumes injected and withdrawn) into underground gas storage (UGS) facilities in EU countries in August 2026 are at their lowest level in the past six years, according to TASS calculations based on data from Gas Infrastructure Europe (GIE).

Since the beginning of April, Europe has managed to inject only 56% of the volumes needed for the upcoming winter season, or 38 bcm of gas in total.

European UGS facilities are currently 62.99% full (17.27 percentage points below the average level for this date over the past five years), compared with 75.7% a year earlier. This is the lowest level for this date since records began in 2011. EU storage facilities currently hold about 68.9 bcm of gas, which is 14.3 bcm less than a year ago. Gazprom previously forecast that gas inventories in European storage facilities might fail to reach even 75% ahead of the next heating season.

TASS previously reported that Europe risks entering the heating season with record-low gas reserves. Average storage replenishment rates at EU UGS facilities in July were among the lowest recorded since 2011, while August saw only a slight acceleration. At the current pace, Europe may fill its storage facilities to only 70%-75% by the traditional start of the autumn-winter season, which would mark the lowest level ever recorded at the beginning of a heating season.

Under European Commission requirements, EU member states must ensure that their gas storage facilities are 90% full between October 1 and December 1 each year. A flexibility margin of 10% is permitted in the event of difficult storage-filling conditions. As a result, net injections into European storage facilities must amount to at least 68 bcm ahead of the 2026-2027 autumn-winter season to meet the required storage target.

Storage replenishment rates this year were heavily affected by Europe’s lost "battle" with Asia for available liquefied natural gas volumes during the Middle East conflict, higher fuel prices, and extreme heat in June and July. During such summer periods, demand for electricity used in cooling systems and air conditioning rises sharply. Gas remains one of the main sources of power generation alongside nuclear, wind, and solar energy.

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