According to Gas Storage Europe, the region’s underground gas storage facilities were filled up with 3 billion cubic meters in the last ten days of June.
As of June 30, Europe’s underground gas reserves are estimated at 56.154 billion cubic meters. So the gas storages are filled 70.2% compared with 66.6% on June 19.
GSE is monitoring the gas storage reserves in 15 EU member countries.
Previously, Hungary addressed Gazprom to increase the volume of gas supplied into its underground gas storage (UGS) facilities.
Gazprom is interested to boost its gas reserves in the European UGS facilities amid the gas dispute with Ukraine. After protracted and fruitless negotiations, the gas giant switched Naftogaz to the system of advanced payments.
Currently, Ukraine pipelines are only pumped with the Europe’s transit gas. So far, there have been no interruptions, but Gazprom and the European Commission do not rule out such a possibility in winter when Ukraine spends all of its underground gas storage reserves.
On June 16, EU Energy Commissioner Guenther Oettinger said that the problem of gas supplies to Europe might take place in case Ukrainian UGS facilities for gas transit to Europe are not filled. According to him, Naftogaz has pumped 12 billion cubic meters of gas for the past weeks. Ukraine paid off gas bills for January-March. Meanwhile, its debt for November-December 2013 and April-May is estimated at $3.9 billion.