The EU survived its second winter since the start of the war with record gas reserves

The European Union has weathered the second winter since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine with record gas reserves. As of March 31, European gas storage facilities were more than 58% full. The European Commissioner for Energy, Kadri Simson, announced this on Sunday, April 14.

He noted that Europeans have saved gas thanks to the diversification of energy supplies, savings for citizens and companies, as well as investments in renewable energy sources.

“The high level of gas reserves in Europe means that markets are becoming more stable, prices are returning to around pre-war levels and Europe can confidently begin preparations for the period of warming up,” Simson said.

He added that Europe has reduced gas consumption by almost 20%, which has allowed saving more than 107 billion cubic meters of blue fuel in the last 18 months.

It is known that after the start of the full-scale war of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, Europe reduced its dependence on Russian gas. The share of Russian gas imports to Europe decreased from 45% in 2021 to 24% in 2022 and to 15% in 2023. The increase in the share of renewable energy sources helped to leave 24 billion cubic meters of Russian gas in 2022 and 2023.

We remind you that the National Commission that carries out state regulation in the field of energy and utilities (NCREKU) has approved a number of changes that will increase the attractiveness of gas storage facilities of Ukrainian for European customers.

It was previously reported that European traders earned more than $300 million by keeping gas in Ukraine.