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Europe's moderate winter season leaves gas stocks at record high: Kemp

Europe is on track to end the winter season with a record volume of gas in storage, which has Once inflation, pressed futures rates back to precrisis levels is taken into consideration.

The supply photo has actually been changed from 2 years back, when traders and policymakers were worried about possible gas scarcities following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Storage facilities across the European Union and the United Kingdom were 62% complete on March 5 compared with an average of 41%. full on the very same date between 2011 and 2020.

Stocks amounted to 707 terawatt-hours (TWh), which was. 277 TWh (+64% or +2.14 basic variances) above the previous. ten-year seasonal average.

The surplus had actually swelled from 167 TWh (+18% or +1.70 requirement. deviations) at the start of the winter heating season on October. 1.

Winter season 2023/24 has mainly been characterised by a strong. positive North Atlantic Oscillation, directing strong westerly. winds from throughout the Atlantic into Northwest Europe.

Pressure differentials in between the Greenland-Iceland. low-pressure location and the Bermuda-Azores high-pressure location have. been higher than regular, accelerating warm, wet air into. Northwest Europe.

The outcome has been greater temperatures and wind speeds than. average, minimizing heating demand and at the same time improving. wind generation, creating a double cut to gas consumption.

Far this winter, heating need has been 14% below the. long-lasting average in London and 25% below the average at. Frankfurt in Germany.

Stocks are on track to end winter around 664 TWh,. setting a record and beating previous highs of 629 TWh at the. end of winter season 2022/23 and 609 TWh at the end of winter 2019/20.

Northwest Europe has to do with 80% through the heating season so. any cold snaps are not likely to make a considerable distinction to. the result at this point.

It is the region's second moderate winter season in a row. Europe has. been fortunate along with clever.

High costs and government policies to reduce gas and. electrical power usage have contributed preventing lacks,. however back-to-back moderate winters have played a bigger role protecting. energy materials.

Chartbook: Europe gas inventories and rates

Because October 2023, futures prices have decreased progressively to. encourage more consumption and limit build-up of excess. stocks.

Inflation-adjusted front-month futures prices was up to an. average of just 26 euros ($ 28.40) per megawatt-hour in February. below 46 euros in October 2023 and a record 245 euros in. August 2022.

Front-month prices have actually gone back close to the pre-crisis. ten-year average between 2011 and 2020 of 23 euros in genuine. terms.

Lower prices must ultimately motivate energy-intensive. producing markets that idled plants in 2022 and 2023 to. reboot a few of them.

Major industrial users mainly hedge gas purchases in the. forward market, where year-ahead costs have actually fallen to an. average of around 30-31 euros per megawatt-hour up until now in 2024.

Year-ahead costs are not vastly greater than the pre-crisis. Once changed for core, average for 2011-2020 of 26 euros. inflation.

It will take longer for the decline in wholesale expenses to. Filter through to retail prices for gas and electrical power. homes and small businesses must see prices decline previously. winter 2024/25.

Lower rates are currently directing more liquefied natural. gas freights to price-sensitive customers in East and South Asia. that were reluctant or unable to take on wealthier users in. Europe throughout 2022/23.

Costs need to fall far enough for long enough to purge some. excess stock and make room in the storage system for the. build-up of stocks throughout the summer season of 2024.

Associated columns:

- Europe's swollen gas stocks drive prices lower (February. 13, 2024)

- Europe's gas rate is up to encourage more commercial use. ( January 4, 2024)

- Europe's energy crisis is over (November 28, 2023)

John Kemp is a market analyst. The views revealed. are his own. Follow his commentary on X https://twitter.com/JKempEnergy.

(source: Reuters)