Germany’s Rehden gas storage facility
The case for easing EU gas storage rules
The EU would do well to ease its gas storage requirements to avoid heavy purchase costs this summer, with the targets having created market distortion while giving sellers a significant advantage over buyers
The EU should ease its well-intentioned gas storage requirements to prevent countries having to pay exorbitant prices this summer to replenish their stocks, experts have told Petroleum Economist. At the height of Europe’s gas crisis in 2022, Brussels introduced mandatory targets for refilling storage facilities to ensure there would be enough supply during winter in the event of further cuts to Russian deliveries. However, with storage levels this year already past the half-capacity mark—due to reduced Russian transit through Ukraine and cold weather—concerns have emerged over the cost of replenishing stocks in the coming months. All member states must have filled their storage sites to 90%
Also in this section
14 April 2026
The GECF has warned it may revise its projections for demand this year downwards in light of conflict in the Middle East, although it maintains its forecasts for 2027 and onwards
13 April 2026
Petroleum Economist analysis highlights sharp shift from crude oversupply to market deficit, with Iraq and Kuwait badly affected and key producers Saudi Arabia and the UAE also seeing output sharply lower
13 April 2026
Turkmenistan is moving ahead with a modest expansion of the giant Galkynysh field to sustain gas deliveries abroad, but persistent delays to other key pipeline projects and geopolitical risks continue to constrain its export ambitions
13 April 2026
Expensive electricity has forced out swathes of energy-intensive industry and now threatens the country’s ability to attract future investment in datacentres and the digital economy
