Europe is heading into winter with natural gas storage at its lowest level since 2013, leaving the continent more exposed to supply disruptions and potentially extending pressure on international energy markets into 2027, the International Energy Agency (IEA) warned on November 3.

EU gas storage facilities were around 75% full at the end of October, marking their lowest level in more than a decade, according to the agency. As of November 2, Poland had the fullest gas storage facilities in Europe at 99.1%. 

Europe's efforts to replenish its gas reserves following the previous heating season have been hampered by disrupted LNG supplies, damage to liquefaction facilities in the Gulf during the US-Israeli war on Iran, reduced transit through the Strait of Hormuz and delayed purchases as buyers waited for prices to fall.