MOSCOW, October 2. /TASS/. Europe entered the traditional start of the heating season in October with the lowest volume of gas in its underground storage (UGS) facilities since records began in 2011, according to TASS calculations based on data from Gas Infrastructure Europe (GIE).

At the same time, EU countries are seeking to take advantage of the warm weather in early autumn. In September, they increased their inventories at the fastest pace in four years despite regional gas prices reaching their highest level since late 2022. Gas injections into European UGS facilities totaled 7.8 bln cubic meters in September, up 15% year on year. Meanwhile, withdrawals from storage fell to an 11-year low of 868 mln cubic meters.

As a result, total net injections (the difference between injection and withdrawal volumes) reached 7 bln cubic meters in September, 23% higher than a year earlier.