Underground gas storage in the European Union (EU) has already reached 90%, the objective set by the community bloc for the winter season with a view to reducing dependence on Russian gas, the European Commission announced this Friday.
“Gas storage in the EU has reached 90%, much earlier than expected. This will help us to be safe this winter,” reacted the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, in a post on the social network X (formerly known as Twitter).
Months before the start of the cold season in Europe, gas storage reserves in the EU already stand at an average of 90.12%, according to data from the Gas Infrastructure Europe association, last Wednesday.
“Together we are freeing ourselves from Russian gas and continue to work in parallel to diversify the energy supply of the future,” said Ursula von der Leyen.
Adopted in June 2022, the Gas Storage Regulation provides that underground gas storage facilities on the territory of Member States are at least 90% complete in the cold season this year.
The data consulted by Lusa indicate that, on average, the 18 of the 27 EU countries with underground facilities already have around 90% storage.
The same data, from Gas Infrastructure Europe, reveal that in Portugal gas storage reserves are now at 93.19%, above the European average and reaching the target set for the winter.
At a time of geopolitical tensions caused by the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, which is a major supplier of gas to the EU, underground storage in the Community space is essential for security of supply, since it functions as an additional reserve in case of strong supply or demand disruptions.
Storage provides 25-30% of the gas consumed in the EU during the winter and reduces the need to import additional gas and helps absorb supply crises.
Most Member States (18 out of 27) have gas storage facilities on their territory, with storage capacities in five countries (Germany, Italy, France, the Netherlands and Austria) representing two thirds of the total HUH capacity.
Under the terms of the Gas Storage Regulation, countries that do not have storage facilities must store 15% of their annual domestic gas consumption in reserves located in other Member States, thus having access to other facilities.
Source: TSF
