A sustainable gas system
Natural gas production in the Netherlands is steadily declining. The Groningen gas field has been closed, and production from smaller gas fields continues to decrease. Although households and businesses are saving more energy every year and increasingly switching to more sustainable energy sources, demand for natural gas remains substantial.
At the same time, while natural gas is gradually being replaced by energy from sources such as wind and solar, these alternatives are not yet able to meet total energy demand. This is partly because the large-scale production of other sustainable energy carriers, such as green gas and hydrogen, still needs to be further developed and scaled up.
A sustainable gas system remains our ambition.
For the time being, natural gas will remain part of the Dutch energy system. It therefore makes sense to continue producing as much of that gas domestically as possible, while never producing more than is needed to meet demand. Natural gas produced in the Netherlands is better for the climate, the economy and the reliability of our energy supply. It also reduces our dependence on foreign suppliers. In the future, the existing gas infrastructure can be repurposed for the transport and storage of sustainable energy.
As long as natural gas remains necessary, EBN is committed to the safe, responsible and accelerated production of Dutch natural gas, primarily from small gas fields beneath the North Sea. Wherever possible, we work to reduce emissions, for example by lowering compression requirements in transport pipelines. Naturally, we also coordinate our activities with other users of the increasingly busy North Sea.
Natural gas production is part of EBN’s statutory responsibilities and our broader public mission: helping to ensure that energy remains available and affordable for everyone in the Netherlands.
For the same reason, we help maintain adequate gas reserves. On behalf of the Ministry of Climate and Green Growth, EBN contributed to filling the Bergermeer gas storage facility in 2022 and continued to support this effort thereafter. In this way, we help ensure that sufficient natural gas is available during the winter to meet peak demand.
At the same time, we are working with partners to determine the next phase of life for gas infrastructure that will eventually no longer be needed for natural gas production. Our guiding principle is clear: decommission where necessary, reuse where possible. Many offshore platforms, wells and pipelines can play a valuable role in the future energy system, for example in the production and transport of hydrogen or the storage of CO2 .
In this way, we are not only supporting the energy supply of today, but also taking meaningful steps towards our long-term ambition: a sustainable gas system.