EC: Necessary to save gas consumption to fill UGS

Further deliveries of Russian gas to Europe may be reduced, so it is necessary to save gas consumption in order to quickly fill underground gas storage facilities (UGS), Report informs referring to the Twitter page of the European Commission (EC).

“We are already getting 75% more gas from other countries than in 2021. But we now need to save gas to fill our storage faster. This week, EU countries agreed to reduce their gas consumption by 15%,” the EC tweeted.

According to the recently approved rules, UGS facilities in the EU countries must be filled to at least 80% by November 1 this year. As European Commissioner for Energy Kadri Simson noted earlier, storage facilities in the EU are now 66% full.

Previously, a decision was made to voluntarily reduce demand for natural gas by 15% from August 1 this year to March 31, 2023.

At the same time, exceptions and opportunities are provided for requesting deviations from mandatory goals when they are established in the union. In particular, exemptions apply to the island states of Ireland, Malta and Cyprus, and may be granted to the Baltic States.