Gas reserves in European underground storage facilities have fallen to 28.5%, Gazprom reported on its Telegram channel, citing data from Infrastructure Europe as of March 20.
„In addition, the level of reserves in underground gas storage facilities in the largest gas-consuming countries is even lower than the EU average. For example, only 6.8% of gas reserves remain in Dutch storage facilities, the report said.
The Financial Times earlier reported that the EC had called on EU countries to reduce their gas storage targets and gradually replenish their reserves to reduce demand amid the crisis caused by the military conflict in the Middle East.
European Commissioner Jorgensen noted that the EU's energy supplies "remained relatively secure" but also called for a "collective response" to the conflict in the Middle East. He warned that it could take longer for Qatar’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) production to return to pre-crisis levels.
On the evening of March 18 and the morning of March 19, Qatar Energy, the Qatari state-owned oil and gas company and the world’s largest supplier of liquefied natural gas (LNG), reported Iranian missile strikes on its production facilities. As a result, they suffered significant damage and gas prices in Europe rose by 35%.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that the EU would not return to buying Russian gas, even if the region experiences physical energy shortages that lead to power outages.