EU gas demand can be met despite 72% reserves, operators say

European Union gas operators said the bloc can meet gas demand this winter even though underground storage was only 72 percent full on Oct. 1 after what they called a challenging season.

The ENTSOG operators' association said Europe was entering winter with “historically low” storage levels and higher, more volatile global gas prices as the Middle East war disrupts energy supplies.

The EU normally targets gas stocks of 90 percent by the start of winter, but has granted flexibility during the energy crisis. ENTSOG said storage levels varied across the bloc, from about 85 percent in France to 59 percent in Germany.

Despite the lower reserves, ENTSOG said European gas infrastructure “remains sufficiently flexible to meet demand”. It called for continued injections into storage facilities and close monitoring of reserve levels.

The association said Europe's capacity to import liquefied natural gas can partly compensate for lower storage and support winter demand if high LNG deliveries are maintained.

ENTSOG warned that if LNG availability remains limited, storage could fall well below 30 percent by the end of winter, increasing the impact of possible cold spells later in the season. It also said landlocked countries in central and eastern Europe and countries in southeastern Europe could face greater difficulty getting enough LNG.

Europe has worked to cut its dependence on Russian pipeline gas since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, turning more to LNG shipped by sea. ENTSOG said the United States supplies about 60 percent of EU LNG imports, while Russia remains the bloc's second-largest LNG supplier at about 17 percent of imports in 2026.

The EU plans to ban all Russian gas imports by autumn 2027.