Element NL welcomes the government’s vision for strategic gas policy. The government rightly states that maintaining stable Dutch gas production is essential to security of supply and that new gas fields need to be developed to achieve this. Element NL calls on the government to translate this ambition into faster decision-making and permitting procedures. Dutch gas production should be given the same procedural urgency as other essential energy projects.
The Netherlands will continue to need natural gas during the energy transition. At the same time, the country has become increasingly dependent on imports. Strategic gas reserves and interconnection with other countries provide additional protection against serious disruptions. But storage is a buffer, not a source of gas. A resilient energy system requires sufficient and diverse sources of supply, including domestic production. Strategic gas policy is therefore not only about the gas we keep in reserve for a crisis, but also about the gas we can produce ourselves.
Government underlines importance of Dutch gas production
The government explicitly underlines the role of Dutch gas production. Domestic production from small fields offshore and onshore reduces dependence on other countries, generates revenues for the Dutch State and has a lower CO₂ footprint than imported LNG. The government therefore concludes that, wherever possible, the natural gas we need should be produced domestically.
The Sector Agreement on Gas Production in the Energy Transition provides an important basis for this. But maintaining stable Dutch production in the coming years also requires the actual development of new gas fields. The government acknowledges this in its letter to Parliament. In addition, additional volumes enabled by a robust gas infrastructure reduce costs for producers and make North Sea production more attractive.
New gas production projects are progressing too slowly. Long lead times for decision-making, permitting and legal procedures cause delays and create uncertainty for investors. This is at odds with the urgency the government itself attaches to domestic production.
The government also explicitly states that it has a facilitating role and should enable market parties to ensure sufficient production and imports through, among other things, legislation, decision-making and permitting.
Acceleration requires procedural urgency
Element NL therefore calls on the government to give concrete effect to this responsibility. Implementing the Sector Agreement alone is not enough. Dutch gas production projects should be given the same procedural urgency as other essential energy projects. Decision-making and procedures should be accelerated, while providing the investment certainty needed to actually realise new projects in support of security of supply and a resilient energy system.
Element NL’s members are willing and able to supply a significant share of Dutch gas demand from domestic resources during the energy transition. In doing so, they contribute to security of supply, a lower climate impact and greater resilience.
