Gazprom: Baltic gas storage more than half empty

Gas reserves in Europe’s underground storage facilities are shrinking rapidly, with an “extremely difficult situation” developing in the Baltic states, Gazprom has said.

According to the company’s data as of December 25, European underground gas storage facilities held 66.3 billion cubic meters of gas, which is 9.9 billion cubic meters less than a year earlier.

Gazprom noted that during the Christmas holidays on December 24 and 25, a record amount of gas for those dates was withdrawn from storage over the entire observation period.

The Inčukalns storage facility—the only one in the Baltic states—has been depleted by more than half and is filled to just 49.5%, Gazprom said. During the previous season, such a low level was recorded only in mid-February. At the start of winter, according to the company, the facility was filled to only 61%.

In Germany, storage levels have fallen below 60% for the first time this season, reaching 59.8%, whereas last year this threshold was not crossed until the end of January. In the Netherlands, reserves have declined even more sharply, to 52.5%, Gazprom reported.

Earlier, the Council of the European Union published a regulation allowing EU countries to temporarily waive the ban on importing Russian gas in the event of an emergency. The provision suspending the ban was included in the regulation “as part of an overall compromise.” The text уточifies that this measure would apply only to purchases of Russian gas under short-term contracts.

The EU Council approved a plan to end imports of Russian gas in October, while maintaining a transition period for existing contracts. Short-term contracts signed before June 17, 2025, may remain in force until June 17, 2026, while long-term contracts may continue until January 1, 2028.

By Tamilla Hasanova