Brussels already urged Member States to build up gas reserves for next winter

Brussels – Winter ended just two days ago. Yet it is already time to start thinking about the next one and begin stockpiling gas. The “energy disruptions” and “market volatility” triggered by the conflict in the Middle East are causing concern for the European Commission, which today (23 March) urged Member States not to be caught unprepared and to begin the gas storage filling season.

Whilst making it clear that the EU’s energy security “remains assured at this stage thanks to its limited dependence on imports from this region and the LNG shipments that passed through the Strait of Hormuz prior to the conflict,” Brussels believes it is already time for “swift and coordinated” preparations in anticipation of a possible prolongation of the crisis and the approaching, albeit distant, cold season.

This is also because, as Energy Commissioner Dan Jørgensen pointed out in a letter addressed to all the energy ministers of the 27 EU countries, we are “leaving the winter behind with lower stock levels than in previous years.” According to data released by Switzerland’s Federal Office of Energy (FOE), on the day of the spring equinox (which roughly marks the time of year when shortages are at their peak), the average fill level of EU gas storage sites had fallen to 28.5 per cent. A year earlier, on 21 March 2025, it stood at 33.9 per cent. Looking at the five-year average, it stands at 41.1 per cent.

Last summer, the gas storage regulation, introduced in 2022 following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, was extended until 2027. The Danish Commissioner pointed out that the EU had introduced, in July 2025, greater flexibility for Member States in meeting their targets for filling storage facilities, so that they can react quickly to changing market conditions. In particular, the deadline for reaching the 90 per cent storage target has been moved from 1 November to 1 December, and capitals are permitted to deviate from the gas storage target in the event of difficult market conditions or technical constraints. The Commission itself has the option to further reduce the target should unfavourable market conditions persist.

Jørgensen explained that “starting injections into storage facilities as soon as possible would allow for a longer injection period and enable adaptation to market conditions in order to ease pressure on prices and avoid a late-summer rush.” And, in light of the crisis in the Middle East, he urged energy ministers to “make use of the flexibility available and consider the possibility of reducing the filling target to 80 per cent as early as possible during the filling season, in order to provide certainty and reassurance to market operators.”