Italy’s gas stocks reach 90% ten days ahead of schedule, above European average

Key Facts

Italy’s gas stocks reached 90% on October 20, 2026, ten days ahead of schedule, ANSA reported. The level was above the European average fill rate of 74.5% at the time. Reaching the target early meant Italy entered the winter preparation period with stocks above the European average, while security of supply remained dependent on factors beyond storage. Snam’s chief executive said storage is “a necessary, though not sufficient, condition for strengthening the resilience of the gas system.” He added that high reserves remain part of preparations for winter.

The chief executive stressed the role of stocks in ensuring gas reaches households and businesses, and in limiting price tensions linked to tensions in the Middle East. ANSA quoted him as saying storage serves “as a guarantee of supply and for the benefit of households and businesses.” The statement places stocks within security-of-supply arrangements, while also linking their impact to protecting consumers and businesses from price pressures. But he did not describe stocks as sufficient on their own to offset any shortfall in imports or address all supply disruptions. His message remains that storage is a necessary element in strengthening the system’s resilience, alongside its other components.

Italy’s storage network comprises 13 sites, and its capacity is equivalent to about 1/6 of Europe’s total storage capacity, according to ANSA. This share gives Italy significant weight in European gas storage infrastructure, alongside its role in covering domestic needs. Comparing Italy’s fill level with the European average puts winter preparedness in a broader context beyond the national market. On October 20, Europe’s average was 74.5%, below Italy’s 90%. The comparison shows differences in preparedness levels across European countries, while stocks remain part of an interconnected supply system.

Italian stocks had reached 85% on September 18, 2026, according to ANSA, before rising to 90% in October. The September reading coincided with an increase in gas consumption in August, the agency reported. The comparison reflects a rise in the fill level between the two readings, without by itself showing the volume of supplies that entered storage during the period. In April, Snam said the results of capacity auctions allocated a volume that would allow it to meet a fill target of at least 90% ahead of winter. The company thus linked the booking of storage capacity in spring to the target Italy reached in October.

The volume allocated through the auctions was 17.5 billion cubic meters, out of total domestic storage capacity of slightly more than 19 billion cubic meters, according to a Snam statement issued on April 23, 2026. The company had announced then that the capacity booked would enable it to reach a winter storage target of at least 90%. These figures describe the capacity allocated through the auctions and total domestic capacity; they do not represent the amount of gas physically in storage on that date. On April 23, gas actually in storage exceeded 46.5% of Italy’s available capacity, compared with a European average of 30.6%, including Italy. This reading provides an early comparison of actual gas levels before the filling season that ended with the October target being reached.