Italy is entering the final stretch before the 2026–2027 winter with one of Europe’s strongest natural gas positions, supported by large storage capacity, diversified import routes and an infrastructure network that has become increasingly important since the continent’s energy crisis began in 2022.
By mid-August, Italian underground gas storage facilities were close to 80% full. On August 19, Gas Infrastructure Europe data placed Italy at 79.78%, representing about 162.3 TWh of stored gas. At the same point, the European Union average stood at 61.37%, while Germany – despite having Europe’s largest storage system – was only slightly above 50%.
