MOSCOW, August 28. /TASS/. Net gas injection - the difference between injection and withdrawal volumes - by EU countries into underground gas storage (UGS) facilities has exceeded 39 bln cubic meters since the start of the summer season in April 2026, according to TASS calculations based on data from Gas Infrastructure Europe (GIE).

Thus, Europe has so far managed to inject only 58% of the volumes needed for the coming winter into its UGS facilities.

As of August 26, European UGS facilities were 63.8% full, 17.24 percentage points below the five-year average for that date, compared with 76.5% a year earlier. This is the lowest level for this date since records began in 2011. EU storage facilities currently hold around 69.7 bln cubic meters of gas, 14.3 bln cubic meters less than a year earlier and the lowest level since 2013. Gazprom previously forecast that gas inventories in European UGS facilities may not even reach 75% by the next heating season.

TASS previously reported that Europe risks entering the heating season with record-low gas inventories. The average pace of replenishing gas inventories at EU UGS facilities in July was among the lowest since records began in 2011 and accelerated only slightly in August. At the current pace, Europe may have its storage facilities only 70-75% full by the start of the fall-winter period, which would be an all-time low for the beginning of the heating season.

Under European Commission requirements, EU countries must ensure that their gas storage facilities are 90% full each year between October 1 and December 1. A 10% flexibility margin is allowed in the event of difficult storage-filling conditions. Thus, net injection into European storage facilities must total at least 68 bln cubic meters by the start of the 2026-2027 fall-winter period to meet the storage target.

The pace of storage filling this year has been significantly affected by Europe losing the "battle" with Asia for available supplies on the liquefied natural gas market during the Middle East conflict, higher fuel prices, and extreme heat in June and July. During such hot summer periods, demand for electricity to power cooling and air-conditioning systems rises sharply. Gas is one of the main sources of electricity generation, alongside nuclear, wind and solar power.