Europe did not freeze again: gas storage facilities in the EU are 95% full ᐉ News from Fakti.bg – World

Gas reserves in the EU are 95% full and the countries of the union will not freeze for another winter – despite the dire risks. the war criminal Vladimir Putin, who has been waging a full-scale war against Ukraine since 2022.

EU member states have agreed a legal target to fill their gas storage facilities to 90% of their capacity by 1 November each year to ensure security of supply and market stability during the winter months.

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By the date of this year, gas storage levels across the EU are above 95% according to the latest figures published by “Europe’s gas infrastructure“. There are currently stored in the EU about 100 billion. cubic meters of gas, which represents about a third of the EU’s annual gas consumption.

Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson said: “When Russia attacked Ukraine and tried to blackout Europe with its energy supply, we acted quickly to protect against supply shocks in the future time. These efforts are paying off and we enter this winter with a satisfactory level of gas storage across Europe, a diversified energy supply, a higher share of energy from renewable sources and a renewed commitment to energy efficiency and energy savings. This leaves us in a strong position to keep supply and prices stable this winter and continue the transition away from Russian fossil fuel imports.”

THEN The management for gas storage from June 2022. a binding EU target is set to fill 90% of storage facilities by 1 November each year. This regulation is one of a whole range of measures taken by the EU after the energy crisis caused by Russia’s attack on Ukraine to better prepare the European energy system for the winter season. In the last two years with the introduction of the plan REPowerEUthe EU has significantly reduced its dependence on Russian fossil fuels.

Every year starting from 2023, a special inspection of gas storage should be carried out from February to quickly remove gas from the underground gas storage facility in the middle of winter, which could pose security challenges. created for delivery before the end of winter. Stocking charts should allow for continuous monitoring during the stocking season, the ruling was approved.

Effective use of existing infrastructure, including cross-border transmission capacity, underground gas storage facilities and LNG (liquefied natural gas) facilities is important to ensure security supply gas in the spirit of solidarity. Open energy borders are essential to the security of gas supply, including during times of disruption in gas supply at national, regional or Union level.

2024 This is the third year in a row that the European Union has provided high gas reserves long before winter. It was agreed that in 2022 a target of filling 90% of the storage facilities was already achieved in August.

The rules require member states to ensure that storage capacity in the EU is filled each year before the colder months and is shared across the EU in a spirit of solidarity. The regulation mandates that underground gas storage facilities on the territory of the Member States must be filled to at least 80% of their capacity by the winter of 2022/2023. and up to 90% by the start of next winter. The regulation was quickly implemented. Gas storage facilities in the EU were already filled to 90% of their capacity by October 2022. In 2023 the level of filling was significantly higher than in previous years. By the 2023/2024 cold season gas tanks were almost full in all EU countries that have storage facilities. By the cold season of 2024/2025 the tanks are still almost full.

Most EU member states have gas storage facilities on their territory. Storage capacity in five countries (Germany, Italy, France, the Netherlands and Austria) represents two thirds of the total EU capacity. According to the regulation, countries without storage facilities should store 15% of their annual national gas consumption in reserves in other Member States and thus have access to gas reserves stored in a Member State. -other states. This mechanism increases the security of gas supply to the EU and ensures a shared financial burden in terms of filling the Union’s gas storage capacity. Member states with less storage capacity cooperate with those with larger resources to secure their stocks.