US Natural Gas Storage Rises as Expected

US energy firms added 20 billion cubic feet of natural gas to storage to 3.214 trillion cubic feet on the last week of August 2026, relatively in line with market expectations of a 31 bcf build and reversing the slowdown to the restocking season from the last two weeks. The build was concentrated in increases in the East (26bps to 753) and the Midwest (24bps to 890). With the rise, US natural gas storage was 5.2% above the current five-year average, albeit 1.5% below levels from the previous year.

US energy firms added 15 billion cubic feet of natural gas to storage in the week ended August 21, below market expectations of 20 bcf and marking a smaller increase than both the 17 bcf injection recorded during the same period last year and the five-year average of 33 bcf. The latest build also slowed slightly from the 16 bcf increase reported for the week ending August 14. Total inventories rose to 3.184 trillion cubic feet, leaving stockpiles around 0.9% below levels seen a year earlier but still approximately 5.5% above the five-year average for this time of year.

US energy firms added 16 billion cubic feet of natural gas into storage in the week ending August 14, below market expectations of 19 bcf. It compares with an injection of 19 bcf during the same week a year ago and an average increase for that week of 29 bcf over the past five years (2021-2025). Stockpiles increased to 3.169 trillion cubic feet, 0.9% below the same week a year ago and about 6.2% above the five-year average for the week. In the prior week ended August 7, energy firms added 36 bcf of gas into storage.