Gas storage levels in Europe have remained at their lowest point in six years for this month since the beginning of July. The main reason for this is the extreme heat, which complicates the accumulation of gas reserves necessary for winter preparation.
Since the beginning of July, net gas injection into underground storage facilities in EU countries is 17% lower than the figures for the same period in 2025 and is at the lowest level in the last six years.
Currently, Europe's gas storage facilities are only 52.49% full, which is 15.33 percentage points lower than the average for the same day over the past five years. A year ago, storage levels were at 63%. They currently hold 57.4 billion cubic meters of gas, which is 11.7 billion cubic meters less than in 2025. Gazprom predicts that by the next heating season, the filling of Europe's gas storage facilities may not even reach 75%.
According to the requirements of the European Commission, EU member states must ensure 90% filling of gas storage facilities during the period from October 1 to December 1 each year. In difficult conditions, a 10% flexibility is allowed. Thus, before the start of the autumn-winter season of 2026-2027, net gas injection into European storage must reach at least 68 billion cubic meters to meet the established requirement. So far, Europe has managed to secure only 39% of the necessary volumes for the upcoming winter.
This year's filling rates have been significantly affected by the defeat in the competition for free volumes in the LNG (liquefied natural gas) market with Asia during the Middle Eastern conflict, higher fuel prices, and the extreme heat in June and July. In such conditions, the demand for electricity sharply increases due to the use of cooling and air conditioning systems. Natural gas remains one of the main sources of electricity generation alongside nuclear, wind, and solar energy.
