LONDON, July 6 (Reuters) - Europe’s gas storage is filling more slowly after prices fell sharply in the first half of the year, but a further slowdown will be needed to prevent space running out before the start of winter 2023/24.
Gas inventories across the European Union and the United Kingdom amounted to 889 terawatt-hours (TWh) on July 4, according to data from Gas Infrastructure Europe (“Aggregated gas storage inventory”, GIE, July 6).
Chartbook: Europe's gas inventories and pricesFront-month futures prices have already fallen by 85% in real terms since August 2022 to encourage more consumption by electricity generators and industrial users as well as re-route liquefied natural gas (LNG) cargoes to Asia.
Prices and spreads will continue to come under pressure until storage accumulation slows much further to avoid space becoming full before October.
Related columns:- Europe’s gas prices stabilise as storage additions slow (June 8, 2023)- Europe’s gas prices slide on swollen inventories (May 11, 2023)- Europe only has space for a small gas refill in 2023 (April 14, 2023)- Europe’s gas outlook transformed after mild winter (April 13, 2023)John Kemp is a Reuters market analyst.
Persons:
Stocks, John Kemp, Emelia Sithole
Organizations:
European Union, Gas Infrastructure, Thomson, Reuters
Locations:
United Kingdom, GIE, Asia, Europe