Europe’s underground gas reserves have been declining rapidly as winter conditions intensify across the continent. As of 9 January, storage sites held approximately 56.3 billion cubic meters of gas, equal to around 55.5% of total capacity, according to Gas Infrastructure Europe.
Storage levels in several major markets were already well below the European average at that time. Germany’s facilities were filled to just over 48%, while France reported slightly higher levels at around 49%, highlighting the uneven distribution of remaining reserves among key consuming countries.
Gas Infrastructure Europe noted that early January saw unprecedented withdrawal activity. The volumes taken out of storage on 7 and 8 January set new records for those calendar days, while withdrawals on 5 and 6 January exceeded all previous daily highs. The association linked this surge in demand directly to the arrival of colder weather across much of Europe.
Compared with the situation a year earlier, current inventories are significantly lower. Total stored volumes are down by about 12.6 billion cubic meters compared with levels recorded in 2025, underscoring the faster pace at which reserves are being consumed this winter.
At the start of the heating season on 13 October, European gas storage sites were on average 83% full. Even then, some of the countries with the largest storage capacity entered winter with more modest buffers: Germany, the largest holder, stood at 76%, while the Netherlands, the third-largest, reported 72% fullness.
Under EU rules, member states are required to ensure that gas storage facilities reach at least 90% capacity at some point between 1 October and 1 December. The current drawdown trend, however, is drawing renewed attention to how quickly these reserves can be depleted once colder temperatures take hold.