Depogaz Ploiești, the main underground natural gas storage operator in Romania, ensured the normal operation of its storage facilities during the 2025-2026 cold season, without interruptions in gas supply, the filling rate being 97.84% at the beginning of winter and 23.6% on April 1, 2026, the company announced in a press release.
“We have taken all necessary measures to ensure more predictable and safer conditions in the cold season and, most importantly, to strengthen the relationship of trust between the company, customers and authorities. The past winter was one in line with the climatic specifics of Romania, with blizzards, frost and snowfall, unlike recent years, which have accustomed us to milder winters. However, we managed to get through the cold season without interruptions in the supply of natural gas. From the experience of the previous winter, we learned that it is not enough to have gas in the warehouses; what is essential is how we manage these quantities, so as to meet demand and, at the same time, maintain reserves for peak winter consumption periods,” said Mădălina Moise, general director of Depogaz Ploiești, according to the document cited by Agerpres.
At the beginning of the cold season, on November 1, 2025, the filling rate of Depogaz warehouses was 97.84%.
According to Regulation (EU) 2024/2995, Member States were required to reach a minimum level of 90% by this date. Depogaz met this target as early as 20 September 2025, thus exceeding the deadline imposed by European regulations and exceeding the European average filling rate.
At the end of the season, on 1 April 2026, the filling rate of the depots operated by Depogaz was 23.6%, a level comparable to that recorded in the same period of the previous year (24.82% on 1 April 2025).
“We have a strategy that allowed us to maintain pressure and safety in the system throughout the winter. We implemented a new procedure for operating the storages, approaching the start of extraction differently: we prioritized the storages with a high degree of depletion, keeping the storages with better performance for periods of maximum consumption. The winter season included periods of high consumption and difficult weather conditions, which required permanent adaptation of the operating regime. These situations were managed through close coordination with the transmission operator and with the customers benefiting from the gas storage service, without any delivery malfunctions, the nominations being honored throughout the cold season”, explained the general director of Depogaz.
According to the cited source, the gases remaining in the storages are still distributed in a balanced structure, including in the Bilciurești and Urziceni storages, which allow maintaining deliveries during this period.
“The deposits are operated in an integrated manner, and extraction is carried out according to the technical characteristics of each one and the needs of the system,” the company states.
According to the regulations in force, the injection cycle began on April 1, 2026. During this period, the operation of the deposits is adapted to demand and may include both injection and extraction, depending on customer requests and market conditions.
Depogaz operates five underground storage facilities, developed in depleted gas fields, which provide approximately 90.54% of Romania’s total storage capacity: Bilciurești (active capacity – 1.31 billion cubic meters, extraction capacity – 14 million cubic meters/day), Urziceni (active capacity – 0.36 billion cubic meters, extraction capacity – 4.5 million cubic meters/day), Bălăceanca (active capacity – 0.05 billion cubic meters, extraction capacity – 1.2 million cubic meters/day), Ghercești (active capacity – 0.25 billion cubic meters, extraction capacity – 2 million cubic meters/day) and Sărmășel (active capacity – 0.9 billion cubic meters, extraction capacity – 7.5 million cubic meters/day).
“The total daily extraction capacity is 29.2 million cubic meters, this level being reached at the beginning of the extraction cycle, when the storages are full. The flow rate decreases progressively as the stocks decrease. Depogaz is currently implementing projects to modernize and develop storage capacities, including at the Bilciurești storage, as well as expansion projects, such as the one at Ghercești. These investments aim to increase the operational performance and flexibility of the system. Our strategy aims to increase storage capacity and daily extraction capacity, in order to reduce seasonal variations and strengthen the role of storages in ensuring energy security”, added Mădălina Moise.