https://sputnikglobe.com/20260428/filling-eu-gas-storage-facilities-will-be-difficult---slovakian-energy-lobby-1124051981.html
Filling EU Gas Storage Facilities Will Be Difficult - Slovakian Energy Lobby
Filling EU Gas Storage Facilities Will Be Difficult - Slovakian Energy Lobby
Sputnik International
The European Union ended the winter with low gas reserves, and filling European storage facilities will be difficult due to the suspension of LNG production in Qatar due to the conflict in the Middle East, Richard Kvasnovsky, executive director of the Slovak Gas and Oil Association (SGOA), told Sputnik.
2026-04-28T04:54+0000
2026-04-28T04:54+0000
2026-04-28T04:55+0000
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"Europe ended the winter with very low natural gas reserves, around 23%. Filling storage facilities will not be easy for two reasons. First, Qatar (7% of EU supplies) has been eliminated, and replacing it with another LNG supplier will be difficult. Second, the price difference between summer and winter gas is minimal, which does not motivate traders to fill storage facilities," Kvasnovsky said. Qatar previously accounted for approximately 7% of European LNG imports, or 3.5% of total regional natural gas demand. According to ACER estimates, the EU was expected to receive 21.5 billion cubic meters of Qatari gas under contract by 2026. If these volumes were to reach Europe, the region would require only an additional 40 billion cubic meters of gas on the spot market. However, if Qatari exports do not recover by the end of the year, Europe would have to seek 56 billion cubic meters of LNG on the spot market. According to ACER, this will intensify competition between the EU and Asia for LNG supplies. On February 28, the US and Israel began a military aggression against Iran. Iran retaliated with strikes on Israeli territory, as well as on US military facilities in the Middle East. The escalation of the conflict has virtually halted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. This is a key supply route for global oil, petroleum products, and liquefied natural gas (LNG). As a result, fuel prices have risen in most countries. SGOA (SPNZ) is an independent association of the gas and oil industry in Slovakia. Its members include companies that sell, distribute, and transport gas and oil, as well as suppliers of equipment and services in this sector.
https://sputnikglobe.com/20260425/us-to-struggle-to-legally-justify-blockade-of-strait-of-hormuz--south-korean-association-1124037953.html
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europe, qatar, slovakia, european union (eu), liquefied natural gas (lng), energy, energy shortage, gas pipeline, natural gas, russian gas, natural gas supplies, gas supplies
europe, qatar, slovakia, european union (eu), liquefied natural gas (lng), energy, energy shortage, gas pipeline, natural gas, russian gas, natural gas supplies, gas supplies
Filling EU Gas Storage Facilities Will Be Difficult - Slovakian Energy Lobby
04:54 GMT 28.04.2026 (Updated: 04:55 GMT 28.04.2026) BRATISLAVA (Sputnik) - The European Union ended the winter with low gas reserves, and filling European storage facilities will be difficult due to the suspension of LNG production in Qatar due to the conflict in the Middle East, Richard Kvasnovsky, executive director of the Slovak Gas and Oil Association (SGOA), told Sputnik.
"Europe ended the winter with very low natural gas reserves, around 23%. Filling storage facilities will not be easy for two reasons. First, Qatar (7% of EU supplies) has been eliminated, and replacing it with another LNG supplier will be difficult. Second, the price difference between summer and winter gas is minimal, which does not motivate traders to fill storage facilities," Kvasnovsky said.
Qatar previously accounted for approximately 7% of European LNG imports, or 3.5% of total regional natural gas demand. According to ACER estimates, the EU was expected to receive 21.5 billion cubic meters of Qatari gas under contract by 2026. If these volumes were to reach Europe, the region would require only an additional 40 billion cubic meters of gas on the spot market. However, if Qatari exports do not recover by the end of the year, Europe would have to seek 56 billion cubic meters of LNG on the spot market. According to ACER, this will intensify competition between the EU and Asia for LNG supplies.
On February 28, the US and Israel began a military aggression against Iran. Iran retaliated with strikes on Israeli territory, as well as on US military facilities in the Middle East. The escalation of the conflict
has virtually halted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. This is a key supply route for global oil, petroleum products, and liquefied natural gas (LNG). As a result, fuel prices have risen in most countries.
SGOA (SPNZ) is an independent association of the gas and oil industry in Slovakia. Its members include companies that sell, distribute, and transport gas and oil, as well as suppliers of equipment and services in this sector.
