[Insufficient European natural gas inventories, global supply competition may push up prices] September 3rd, as the summer is coming to an end, but the European natural gas inventory buffer is still low, the global natural gas supply competition may further intensify. At current prices, Europe still needs to replenish natural gas worth more than 7 billion euros (about 8.1 billion U.S. dollars) and more than 100 terawatt hours (TWh) to reach the minimum 75% gas storage target. To achieve this, Europe will need to restock stocks so close to the end of the quarter at a pace not seen since the 2022 energy crisis. Goldman Sachs Group Inc., Rystad Energy and Morningstar all warned that this could push up natural gas prices in the winter. "The possibility of a global scramble for fuel does exist, especially with low winter temperatures," said Go Katayama, chief insights analyst at energy intelligence firm Kpler Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG). If supply disruptions continue into the winter, Europe may have to pay higher prices to ensure scarce LNG cargoes reach the continent.