Colder weather and the possibility of continued labor strikes at French import terminals helped lift European natural gas prices on Monday.

The May Title Transfer Facility (TTF) gained about 5% last week after forecasts shifted colder for the remainder of the month and into early April. The contract gained another 3% Monday to finish just below $13.50/MMBtu. Strikes against the French government’s pension reform were extended last week at three of the country’s import terminals until Tuesday (March 28), when unions have called for additional nationwide work stoppages.

An Elengy spokesperson told NGI that unions could decide on additional actions Tuesday that would impact the Fos Cavaou, Fos Tonkin and Montoir-de-Bretagne import terminals. Operations at Dunkirk LNG, the only...