Natural Gas Storage: +92 Bcf
Prices rally on lighter-than-average storage build.
The U.S. Energy Information Administration reported a weekly injection of 92 billion cubic feet (Bcf) into Lower 48 natural gas storage inventories for the week ending May 22, 2026 (Link). Total inventories now stand at 2,483 Bcf, 21 Bcf (0.9%) above year-ago levels and 144 Bcf (6.2%) above the 2021-2025 average for the same week.
The EIA announced a 92-Bcf storage injection this morning, which continued to narrow the surplus to year-ago levels and also came in below the five-year average for the same week. Stocks were 142 Bcf above corresponding 2025 levels as recently as April 10, but that surplus has now narrowed for five consecutive weeks to just 21 Bcf as of today’s report. The surplus relative to the five-year average has seen minor fluctuations over that same stretch, but today’s announced injection fell 5 Bcf shy of that benchmark.
