European natural gas futures hit their highest level since December 2022 (early days of the Russia-Ukraine conflict) as domestic supplies remain well below the 15-year average. With the Northern Hemisphere winter approaching, the restocking phase may be jeopardized by maritime chokepoint madness across the Gulf and Red Sea, with the Strait of Hormuz and Bab al-Mandab Strait under threat.Dutch benchmark futures jumped as much as 5.
3% to 83.67 euros a megawatt-hour early Monday. Prices have tripled so far this year, and the latest surge comes after Saudi Arabia's East-West pipeline was taken offline in recent days following a drone strike on pumping infrastructure.
Europe is heading toward the heating season with gas storage facilities just 68% full, well below the 15-year trend of about 85% for this time of year.LNG arrivals into Western Europe retreated last week after an early-September recovery, while inventory replenishment slowed."The delay pushes any prospect of de-escalation even further out of reach," analysts at ING Groep NV wrote in a note earlier.
A Timera Energy analyst warned that one consequence of low gas storage "is a more fragile winter balance," adding, "That increases the potential for volatility if cold weather or another supply shock emerges faster than cargoes can respond."Translation: one cold snap this coming winter could trigger sharp price swings and intensify pressure on European households, as the energy-stricken continent is more than ever held hostage to conflicts in the Middle East.