"We have pursued a cautious policy and have kept our stocks higher than the average in France," Engie said in a statement to Reuters. "This enables us to guarantee the security of supply of our customers in the coming weeks."

Engie added its diversified portfolio enabled it to ensure safety of supply, based on long-term contracts and a proportion of liquefied natural gas arriving by ship that offered flexibility.

Russian gas imports account for some 20% of French gas consumption, it added.

(Reporting by Benjamin Mallet, writing by Gwladys Fouche, editing by Dominique Vidalon, Ingrid Melander)