On September 21 (local time), according to TASS, European Union (EU) countries have pumped more than 45 billion m3 of gas into underground storage since the gas pumping season began in April 2026, according to TASS calculations based on data from Gas Infrastructure Europe (GIE).
However, the amount of gas pumped has only reached about 67% of the level needed for the upcoming winter. The average gas pumping speed in September is the highest in the past 4 years, while gas prices at European trading centers have reached the highest level since the end of 2022, showing that the EU is urgently filling stockpiles despite having to buy gas at high prices.
As of September 19, Europe's underground gas stockpiles were only 69.59% full, 15.84 percentage points lower than the 5-year average at the same time and much lower than 81.4% a year earlier. This is also the lowest level recorded on this day since the data began to be compiled in 2011.
EU reserves currently contain about 76.2 billion m3 of gas, 13.4 billion m3 less than last year and the lowest level since 2013. Gazprom forecasts that Europe's gas reserves may not even reach 75% in the next heating season.
Previous sources warned that Europe is at risk of entering the heating season with record low gas reserves. With the current rate of replenishment, gas depots may only reach 70-75% at the beginning of the autumn-winter period, a record low when the heating season begins.
According to the requirements of the European Commission (EC), EU countries must ensure that gas reserves reach 90% in the period from October 1 to December 1 every year, with a flexible amplitude of 10% if storage conditions are difficult. To achieve the autumn-winter 2026-2027 target, Europe needs to net pump at least 68 billion m3 of gas.
This year's storage rate is affected by competition for liquefied natural gas (LNG) sources with Asia in the context of the Middle East conflict, rising fuel prices and intense heat in July-July. Electricity demand for air conditioning and cooling increased sharply in the summer, while gas is one of the main sources of electricity production.
