Gas reserves in Europe's underground storage facilities hit all-time high

Underground gas storage facilities in Europe were 97.9 percent full by 14 October, which is an all-time high, Gas Infrastructure Europe association data showed.

European underground gas storage facilities currently have more than 105.1 billion cubic metres (bcm) of gas, against the maximum storage capacity of about 107.4 bcm.

In September, only 3.2 bcm of gas was pumped into the storages, which is 62 percent less than last year. This decline in gas injection was due to prolonged maintenance in Norway, which made significant volumes of gas unavailable for export to Europe.

In October, however, gas supplies from Norway resumed, with over 2.1 bcm pumped into European storage facilities in the first fourteen days.

In 2022, the injection season lasted until 14 November, and the storage facilities were 95.6 percent full, with 100.9 bcm of gas stored.

Despite record-high gas reserves in Europe and sufficient free capacity for injection into Ukrainian UGS facilities, foreign companies reduced gas injection into Ukraine in October—primarily due to rising gas prices.