​Natural gas: partner of renewables

The worldwide demand for energy is expected to double between 2005 and 2050. Sustainable energy will have to meet some of this demand. In addition, there will continue to be a significant demand for fossil fuels. Of these, gas is by far the cleanest, with the lowest CO2 emissions. The Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs foresees a major role for gas in a sustainable, reliable and affordable energy mix. EBN supports this policy by, for example, mapping out unconventional sources.

In 2012 EUR 14.5 billion of State revenue

Through participation in exploration, production, storage and sale of Dutch oil and natural gas, EBN is responsible for a major part of Dutch natural gas revenues.

The Netherlands – an important international player in gas

When it comes to gas, the Netherlands is an important player on the international stage. Approximately 25% of the total European gas reserves are located under Dutch soil, and the Netherlands is the largest natural gas producer in the EU. EBN estimates the total quantity of gas still to be produced is at least 1,100 billion m3. In 2012 the Netherlands produced over 78 billion m3. In addition to onshore gas production, since the 1960s the Netherlands has also been producing considerable quantities of gas from offshore fields. In 2001, the offshore production experienced a peak with 30 billion m3, after which production fell gradually to around 20 billion m3 in 2011.

An important source of information about the Dutch gas production is the minerals annual report, published by TNO. This report can be found at www.nlog.nl.

The largest part of Dutch natural gas is produced from the Groningen field, a field the Dutch population has benefited from for over 50 years. To save the Groningen field, in the 1970s the Dutch government introduced the small fields policy. This policy made it interesting to utilize small gas fields for production. Since then, over 420 small gas fields have been found in the Netherlands.