In the coming weeks, several debates relevant to the oil and gas sector will take place in the Dutch House of Representatives – the Extractive Industries Committee debate on 1 July and the Climate and Energy deliberations on 7 July. The energy transition will be an important topic in the discussions. NOGEPA, the Dutch oil and gas exploration and production association, sees a clear role for the sector to contribute to the energy transition. By providing safe and reliable energy, infrastructure, investments, innovations and knowledge, we can help to achieve a CO2-neutral Netherlands by 2050, albeit in various stages.
To achieve the goals of tomorrow and beyond, we must also think about what we need today. Natural gas is indispensable in the current energy mix and will remain so in the coming decades. Our domestic gas reserves, which can provide us with energy until 2050, should be prioritised over imported gas. Dutch natural gas is not only better for the climate but for our economy too. Moreover, by continuing to produce gas in the Netherlands, we can experiment with new techniques that will help prepare us for the future. In this way, we will be helping to make our sector smarter, retaining know-how, and becoming a European leader in the development of new technologies: offshore hydrogen production, CO2 storage in depleted gas fields in the North Sea, green gas production, and geothermal energy. projects.
Menno Snel, Chairman of NOGEPA: “NOGEPA's members are already actively developing innovations for tomorrow – projects concerning the electrification of platforms, hydrogen production and transport, CO2 storage and new energy hubs. These initiatives are only set to multiply in the coming decades as our industry undergoes a fundamental change in the role we will play in the energy system of tomorrow. It is therefore important that we look realistically at the intermediate goals on the way to 2050 and make the right choices. This starts today, for instance, by using natural gas where we currently have no other alternatives.”
NOGEPA cordially invites the members of the Dutch House of Representatives to discuss their views on the role that our sector can play, now and in the future, and to hear a more extensive introduction to the sector. The letter that NOGEPA sent to the members of the House of Representatives can be viewed here.
