MOSCOW, September 9. /TASS/. Gas stocks in European underground storage (UGS) facilities have exceeded 67%, which remains the lowest level for this time of year since records began in 2011, according to TASS calculations based on data from Gas Infrastructure Europe (GIE).
Average gas injection rates into EU storage facilities in early September are among the highest in recent years. At the same time, gas prices at European hubs are approaching late-2022 highs, reflecting the European Union's frantic drive to fill its storage ahead of winter, even at steep prices. However, Europe has already missed the summer months, which are the most favorable for injection.
As of September 7, European storage facilities were 67.12% full (16.41 percentage points below the five-year average for this date), compared to 79.5% a year earlier. This is the lowest level for this date since monitoring began in 2011. EU storage facilities hold approximately 73.5 billion cubic meters of gas -- 14 billion cubic meters less than last year's level and the lowest volume since 2013. Gazprom previously forecast that gas stocks in European storage might not even reach 75% by the start of the upcoming heating season.
