Czech storage facilities begin withdrawals as temperatures fall, but gas remains plentiful

Gas storage facilities in the Czech Republic are currently around 90% full. Since the start of the heating season, stored gas volumes have thus fallen by one-tenth. The sharp cooling that arrived at the end of November has substantially increased withdrawals from storage facilities, linked to higher gas consumption for heating.

Colder weather in the Czech Republic shows how significantly gas consumption in the heating sector affects overall gas demand. The first 10% of the natural gas stored in Czech facilities has been withdrawn. Nevertheless, their fill level remains above average; only in 2011 and 2019 were Czech gas storage facilities fuller during the same period.

This strong result was helped, among other things, by the fact that storage facilities were still more than 99% full on 19 November. This was again due to relatively warm autumn weather.

Gas consumption in the European Union is significantly dependent on demand in the household and services sector, where it is used primarily for heating. This consumption accounts for up to 40% of annual gas demand, and fluctuations in average temperatures are usually the main reason for increases or decreases in overall consumption. In the context of the European Union, annual gas consumption can therefore vary by 20 to 25 billion m3 depending on average winter temperatures. For comparison, total EU gas consumption in 2022 was around 360 billion m3.

The European Union as a whole is also reporting virtually the same fill level. Although the importance of storage levels varies considerably from country to country, fill levels in virtually all countries remain above 80%.

Storage fill levels are mandatory in the Czech Republic; facilities must be 40% full by 1 February

After the energy crisis erupted, the European Union quickly adopted measures setting mandatory storage fill levels for each member state at a specified point in time. The common target of the EU's 27 member states is for European storage facilities to be at least 90% full by the beginning of November.

The EU met this target this year well ahead of schedule. Storage facilities were still 99% full on 19 November. Only afterwards did they begin to be gradually depleted. The same applies to storage facilities in the Czech Republic.

Compared with last year, the Czech Republic has slightly less stringent requirements to meet by 1 February next year. While Czech storage facilities had to be 45% full last year, 40% will be sufficient to meet the obligation next year.