MOSCOW, October 2. /TASS/. Europe entered the traditional start of the heating season in October with the lowest volume of gas in its underground storage facilities since records began in 2011, according to TASS calculations based on data from Gas Infrastructure Europe (GIE).

At the end of September 2026, European storage facilities were 71.5% full, 15.68 percentage points below the five-year average for that date, compared with 82.5% a year earlier. This is the lowest level for that date since records began in 2011.

At the same time, EU countries are seeking to take advantage of the warm weather in early autumn. In September, they increased their inventories at the fastest pace in four years despite regional gas prices reaching their highest level since late 2022. Gas injections into European storage facilities totaled 7.8 bln cubic meters in September, up 15% year on year. Meanwhile, withdrawals from storage fell to an 11-year low of 868 mln cubic meters. As a result, total net injections (the difference between injection and withdrawal volumes) reached 7 bln cubic meters in September, 23% higher than a year earlier.

At the end of the month, EU storage facilities held around 78.3 bln cubic meters of gas, 12.7 bln cubic meters less than a year earlier and the lowest level since 2013. Gazprom has forecast that gas inventories in European storage facilities may not even reach 75% by the next heating season.

TASS reported earlier that Europe risks entering the heating season with record-low gas inventories. EU countries may have their storage facilities only 70-75% full by the traditional start of the autumn-winter season, which would be the lowest level ever recorded at the start of the heating season.

Under European Commission requirements, EU countries must ensure that their gas storage facilities are 90% full between October 1 and December 1 each year. A 10% flexibility margin is allowed in the event of difficult storage-filling conditions. Thus, net injections into European storage facilities must total at least 68 bln cubic meters by the start of the 2026-2027 autumn-winter season to meet the storage target. Europe has so far managed to inject only 70% of the volumes needed for the coming winter, or 48 bln cubic meters.

LNG supplies to Europe

Europe imported the largest volume of liquefied natural gas (LNG) in four months in September amid the need to accelerate the replenishment of gas inventories ahead of winter.

In September, LNG flows from European terminals into the EU gas transmission system totaled around 10.6 bln cubic meters, up 15% from August but down 6% compared with September 2025.

In January-September 2026, LNG flows from terminals into Europe’s gas transmission system slowed to around 101 bln cubic meters, 3% less than in the same period of 2025.