Russian group Gazprom announced on Friday that it had filled 91.4% of its internal storage facilities by August 26, Reuters and Agerpres write. The level of storage in Russia is being closely monitored on the eve of the winter season, as Moscow has announced that the priority will be the supply of gas to the domestic market to the detriment of exports.

Gazprom said this month that European gas prices could rise by 60% this winter to more than $4,000 per 1,000 cubic meters as the Russian state-owned company’s exports and production continue to fall under Western sanctions.

Gas flows from Russia, the main supplier to Europe, have been low this year after the route was closed when Moscow sent troops into Ukraine in February and after sanctions led to a dispute over equipment used for the Nord Stream 1 pipeline. As a result, the price of gas rose.

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“Gas prices on the spot market in Europe reached $2,500 (for 1,000 cubic meters). According to some modest estimates, if the trend continues, prices will exceed $4,000 per 1,000 cubic meters this winter,” Gazprom notes.

In the spring, at the TTF hub in Amsterdam, which sets reference prices for natural gas in Europe, quotes reached a record level of almost 335 euros for one megawatt-hour (MWh).

Kyiv closed one of Gazprom’s routes for exports to Europe, and Gazprom cut supplies to Germany by just 20 percent of the capacity of its Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline over an equipment dispute.

Overall, Gazprom’s gas exports fell by 36.2% to 78.5 billion cubic meters in January-August 15, and production fell by 13.2% to 274.8 billion cubic meters compared to the previous year, the Russian company said in a press release.

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