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EU gas storage levels fall to 15-year low

29 September 2026 11:19 (UTC +04:00)

The filling level of underground gas storage facilities in European Union countries is above 71%, APA-Economics reports, citing data from Gas Infrastructure Europe (GIE).

According to the data, the filling level of Europe’s underground gas storage facilities currently stands at 71.16%. This is 15.61 percentage points below the five-year average for the same date and 11.14 percentage points below the 82.3% level recorded during the same period last year. The current filling level is the lowest recorded for this date since observations began in 2011.

It is reported that the storage facilities of EU countries currently hold nearly 77.9 billion cubic meters of gas. This is 13 billion cubic meters less than the storage level in 2025 and the lowest figure since 2013.

Note that, according to European Commission requirements, EU countries must bring the filling level of their underground gas storage facilities to 90% each year between October 1 and December 1. At the same time, a 10% flexibility mechanism is also provided for in the event of difficult conditions related to filling storage facilities.

Thus, in order to meet the regulatory requirement by the beginning of the 2026-2027 autumn-winter season, net gas injections into Europe’s underground gas storage facilities must amount to at least 68 billion cubic meters. Last year, Europe managed to achieve only around 55 billion cubic meters.

Recall that the transportation of Azerbaijani gas to Europe via the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) began on December 31, 2020.