Gas Storage
EBN has completed its gas storage filling programme for the Netherlands, thereby making a significant contribution to achieving the EU’s 64 per cent filling target.
In its role as a public energy company, EBN has completed this filling task in close cooperation with the storage facility operators and with as little additional impact on the market as possible.
There is currently approximately 93 TWh in the gas storage facilities in the Netherlands, which corresponds to a fill rate of over 64 per cent. Normally, the gas storage facilities are filled by market participants during the summer period.
As a result of the war in the Middle East and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz in the spring, natural gas prices rose to such an extent that it became commercially unattractive for market participants to store gas.
To ensure that the European filling target – at that time 74 per cent (approx. 107 TWh) – was met, EBN was commissioned by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy to store up to 85 TWh of gas in the PGI Alkmaar, Grijpskerk, Norg and Bergermeer gas storage facilities.
In September, following a call from the EU, the Ministry revised the filling target for the Netherlands to 64 per cent, which amounts to approximately 93 TWh. That target has now been achieved, partly thanks to EBN’s contribution.
The negative difference between summer and winter gas prices – the so-called ‘spread’ – was not the only challenge faced when filling the gas storage facilities last summer. Persistent geopolitical uncertainties and technical constraints on injecting gas at high temperatures also played a part.
Nicolien Vrisou van Eck, Director of Gas Transition at EBN: “We have completed our filling task, guided by the principle of causing as little market disruption as possible and acting as cost-effectively as possible. This requires careful timing and management of gas purchases and sales. We are pleased that we have been able to complete the first half of our task – the filling phase – in close cooperation with the storage operators. We will now focus on supplying the gas from the storage facilities.”
The Dutch government made nearly 1 billion euros available to cover the costs associated with the filling task. The exact amount of the subsidy that will ultimately need to be used will be known at the end of the season when the final accounts are drawn up.
Last Friday, the Dutch government announced that it also intends to commission EBN for the 2027/2028 filling season to store up to 80 TWh in the gas storage facilities. EBN is in discussions with the ministry regarding the implementation of this task and has begun preparations.
