Gas injection into European storage facilities decreased by 8% in April%

The volume of filling of underground gas storage facilities (UGS) of the European Union (EU) has decreased, reaching a critical level of 33% against the background of increased fuel extraction. This was reported on May 2 by TASS, with reference to data from Gas Infrastructure Europe (GIE).

Gas extraction from European storage facilities in April amounted to 1.7 billion cubic meters (+10% compared to last year). At the same time, the injection into UGS facilities has become the lowest in two years — 6.7 billion cubic meters, which is 8% lower than the March value, according to GIE data.

By the end of April, the reservoirs were filled by only 32.73%, which is the lowest value in the last five years. According to the requirements of the European Commission (EC), EU countries must ensure that their gas storage facilities are filled by 90% between October 1 and December 1 each year. In addition, 10% flexibility is allowed in case of difficult conditions for filling UGS.

Great again: Europe predicted an energy shock

The escalation in the Middle East brings the EU back to 2022

Der Spiegel magazine reported on May 1 that Germany is once again at risk of being left without sufficient gas reserves for next winter due to high prices caused by the conflict in the Middle East. The population of the country, as specified in the same place, as a result of the emerging "emergency situation" may be left not only without gas, but also without kerosene, fertilizers, and even disposable gloves in demand in the medical field.

Political analyst Ivan Mezyuho reported on April 27 that the energy crisis in the EU is already growing, and the policy of US President Donald Trump is only exacerbating the crisis, and there is no favorable scenario for the eurozone in which it could advocate an independent economic policy. According to the expert, if the EU had pursued a balanced foreign policy, it would not have deprived itself of Russian energy resources.