Brussels: The capacity rate of underground gas storage facilities in the European Union countries has dropped below 49%, APA-Economics reports, citing Gas Infrastructure Europe (GIE).

According to Azeri-Press News Agency, the capacity rate of gas storage facilities in the European Union countries stands at 49.02%, which is 8.12 percentage points lower than the average for this date over the past five years. This significant decrease in storage capacity highlights concerns about energy security as the EU navigates the heating season.

It is noted that since the start of the heating season on October 29, 2024, EU countries have extracted more than 54 billion cubic meters from their underground storage facilities. Currently, the total volume of gas in these storage facilities is approximately 54.4 billion cubic meters.

The ongoing decrease in storage levels comes despite the availability of Azerbaijani gas, which began its journey to Europe through the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) on December 31, 2020. The pipeline has been a crucial element in diversifying the EU's gas supply sources, yet the current storage figures suggest a challenging scenario for the region's energy management this winter.