Underground gas storage facilities in the European Union (EU) are full on average at 99.55 percent as of November 5, according to the latest data from the specialized platform “Aggregated Gas Storage Inventory – AGSI”, cited by BTA.
The Bulgarian gas storage facility in Chiren is 97.66 percent full.
According to data from “European Gas Analytics” in Europe, 66.70% of natural gas is LNG (liquefied natural gas).
In the EU, the storage facilities in Germany, Spain and France are currently the most full. The dedicated platform reported an occupancy rate of 100.03 percent at its German facilities. In Spain, the gas storages are also completely filled – at 100.36 percent, while in France the filling rate is 99.88 percent. According to the Association of Gas Storage Operators in Germany (INES), 100 percent capacity reflects facility capacity under reference conditions. If the gas cools, its volume decreases and the storages can hold more gas, at which point the filling exceeds 100 percent.
Earlier this month, the Financial Times reported that full gas storage facilities are prompting European energy companies to divert excess quantities to gas storage facilities in Ukraine ahead of the winter months and associated peak demand.
According to the European regulation on measures to guarantee the security of gas supplies in order to guarantee the energy security of the countries of the European Union, an obligation was introduced for the storage facilities to be filled to 90 percent of their volume no later than November 1 this year.
