Gas reserves in underground storage facilities (UGS) in Europe decreased to 65.66% as of February 15 and amounted to 71.15 billion cubic meters. In this respect informs TASS agency with reference to Gas Infrastructure Europe statistics. On February 13, the figure dropped to about 72 billion cubic meters, and for the first time in a month it ceased to be a winter maximum: the record again belongs to 2020, the agency reported.
The heating season in Europe started on 14 November. Since then, eurozone countries have drawn 37 billion cubic meters of gas from storage facilities. By the end of January, UGS facilities in EU countries were 77.06% full. In early February, Gazprom’s deliveries to EU countries via Ukraine began to increase as the Russian company’s contract prices began to converge with falling spot quotas in Europe.
According to TASS, applications for gas transit from Russia through the territory of Ukraine have increased significantly. The growth was 16 percent, the volume of applications reached 35.8 million cubic meters. On February 13, the figure was 30.8 million cubic meters.
As before reported According to Reuters, Europe faces the task of restoring a much larger gas supply next year than it did this winter. This means that electricity bills will likely remain high and governments may have to implement the painful rationing measures they have so far avoided. The agency did not rule out that Europe would have to implement gas rations.