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 The first 10% of the natural gas stored in Czech facilities has been withdrawn.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.