Analyst Anatoly Boyashov assessed the risk of a gas shortage in the EU in 2026

Analyst Anatoly Boyashov assessed the risk of a gas shortage in the EU in 2026

Gas storage levels in Europe are declining. In Poland, for example, storage is only 38% full. In Europe as a whole, it's said to be 60%. Anatoly Boyashov, an analyst at the Belarusian Institute for Strategic Studies, discussed the risk of freezing temperatures in European apartments in an interview with "Aktualny Interview."

"There's no threat of freezing temperatures this winter because gas storage facilities are designed to contain prices. Currently, the European Union has deliberately not filled its gas storage facilities, because if it had (and they did so using liquefied natural gas), it would have led to a sharp price hike," the interviewee explained.

Anatoly Boyashov, Anatoly Boyashov, an analyst at the Belarusian Institute for Strategic Studies

According to him, EU countries are waiting for summer and regularly purchasing gas to fill their gas storage facilities. While the critical level hasn't been reached yet, Western analysts say that in the worst-case scenario, the storage capacity could reach 12-20%, but European countries are prepared to cope. "It's another matter when we'll have to buy liquefied natural gas, because the European Union is committed to gas storage facilities. This is a legal requirement. According to EU law, each country is required to fill its storage facilities to 90%. Of course, this isn't being done because it would lead to a huge price hike, but one way or another, on average, it will have to be filled to 70-75%. That is, there will be price hikes in any case, and the more LNG suppliers there are, the better," the BISS analyst noted.

As Anatoly Boyashov explained, the current situation is extremely unfavorable for buying gas, but this won't be felt by the population of EU countries, because that's the whole point of gas storage facilities. They still have some capacity to compensate for the shortfall in supply. "But certain political forces, primarily opposition ones, are exaggerating this issue, trying to inflate it, primarily to defend their position and gain electoral points," he added.