MOSCOW, November 13. /TASS/. Net gas withdrawal (the net difference between the volume of gas withdrawn and the volume injected) from underground gas storage (UGS) facilities over the first 15 days of the heating season has already exceeded 4.2 bln cubic meters (bcm), which is 2.8 times higher than the five-year average, according to TASS calculations based on data from Gas Infrastructure Europe (GIE). Therefore, in terms of net withdrawal, European countries have already consumed 8.2% of the 51.2 bcm they had injected over the summer period in preparation for the cold weather.
Europe also continues to withdraw gas from UGS facilities at a record pace. From November 1 to 11, the cumulative volume withdrawn since the beginning of the month has reached a new high for the 11th consecutive day, reaching almost 4.3 bcm. Since the start of the heating season on October 28, Europe has already withdrawn over 4.6 bcm of gas from its storage facilities.
As of November 11, Europe’s UGS facilities were 71.25% full (17.76 percentage points below the five-year average for this date), compared to 82.3% in the previous year, which is still the lowest level recorded for this date since tracking began in 2011. EU storage facilities hold slightly over 78 bcm of gas, which is 12.9 bcm lower than last year’s levels, and the lowest volume since 2013.
The European Commission requests EU members to make sure their UGS facilities are 90% full between October 1 and December 1 of each year. Moreover, 10% flexibility is allowed in the event of difficult UGS filling conditions. Thus, net injection into European storage facilities was required to reach at least 68 bcm by the start of the 2026-2027 autumn-winter period in order to meet the filling standard. However, the European Commission, anticipating a very mild winter, was prepared to lower this target to 80% for this year.