Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb.21
By Leman Zeynalova – Trend:
In 2018 the Netherlands was a net importer of natural gas for the first time since the huge field in Groningen was commissioned, Trend reports with reference to the gas trading company GasTerra.
Although the conditions for investment in small offshore gas fields have improved, the need for imports is bound to rise in the coming years, according to the message.
CEO Annie Krist said that at present, the Netherlands still depends on gas for about 40 percent of its energy needs.
“The use of gas-fired power stations may even increase in the next decade in order to secure electricity supplies, now that the proportion of sustainable energy in the energy mix is rising and coal-fired power stations are being phased out. Other indicators also point to demand for gas remaining high. All in all, in the years to come the Netherlands will still have to produce and import several billion cubic metres of natural gas in order to secure the energy supply,” noted Krist.
GasTerra believes these developments mean that, in this respect, the Netherlands will increasingly resemble other European countries that get most of their gas from abroad.
“Thanks to the expansion of the gas hub in recent decades, the Netherlands is well prepared for this new reality. Whether this also applies to the market in general is another matter. The current market structure still relies on surplus domestic production,” noted Annie Krist.
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