Berlin - The cut off in supplies of Russian gas has reduced stocks in western Europe, according to data from Gas Storage Europe (GSE), a Brussels-based organization of the industry, on Friday.

Germany's stocks, which are mainly kept in beds of deep, porous rock, stood at 59 per cent full, as of Monday.

Italian stocks were higher, at 66.5 per cent, and the so-called Baumgarten stock supplying Austria, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary stood at 69 per cent, according to GSE.

The dispute, which began nearly three weeks ago, has cut lines via Ukraine, though lines via Belarus are still open. Bulgaria has been hardest hit, as it cannot receive gas via northern routes or from the west.

A winter draw-off from the western European storage is normal, since the original purpose of the storage sites was to stockpile gas in summer, when demand is low, and use it in winter, when pipelines are running at full capacity.

In mid-December, the 46 German storage sites averaged 78-per-cent full. They can hold 20 billion cubic metres of gas, equivalent to a quarter of Germany's gas use in
2007.

GSE represents 31 gas storage companies and issues weekly data, based on figures from its member organizations.

BDEW, the federation of the German energy and water industries, declined comment on the data, but said Friday that German consumers had nothing to worry about.

A BDEW spokesman in Berlin said the reduction in Russian supplies was being compensated by higher deliveries from other gasfields and by increased quantities coming through the pipeline across Belarus. (dpa)