RoydadNaft –  Gazprom warned that Europe is heading into autumn and winter with sharply lower gas stocks, a situation that could cause serious problems for European countries.

According to Roydad Naft, citing TASS, Gazprom chief executive Alexey Miller said on Saturday, October 3, 2026, that European countries are setting new records for low gas inventories.

“On the eve of a hard autumn and winter, European Union countries are steadily posting historic lows in gas storage,” Miller said in a statement.

Gazprom said gas in Europe’s underground facilities remains at some of the lowest levels of recent years. As of October 1, the sites were only 72% full, with 11.3 billion cubic meters less working gas in store than a year earlier.

TASS had earlier noted that, heading into the October heating season, Europe has the lowest gas storage since these records began in 2011.

Estimates suggest EU countries may enter the 2026–27 autumn and winter with only 70% to 75% of storage capacity filled — which, if it holds, would be the lowest level recorded at the start of a heating season.

Under European Commission rules, member states must bring gas stocks to 90% of capacity each year between October 1 and December 1. The rules allow up to 10% flexibility if filling tanks is difficult.

To meet that target before the 2026–27 season, European countries must add at least 68 billion cubic meters to underground storage.

So far, Europe has injected about 70% of the volume needed for the coming winter — 48 billion cubic meters.