It concerns a contract for the supply of gas from 31 May to 1 October. This contract is good for about 2 billion cubic meters of gas, which will therefore not be delivered. This amounts to approximately 5 percent of the annual gas consumption in the Netherlands.
A large part of this goes through GasTerra, owned by the Netherlands and oil giants Shell and ExxonMobil.
Gas continues to flow
It is unknown from which suppliers GasTerra the gas is now obtained. Presumably it comes from Norway or it concerns liquefied gas (LNG).
Because GasTerra has already purchased extra gas, Minister Rob Jetten (of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy, D66) expects that GasTerra’s decision will have ‘no consequences’ for the ‘physical supply’ of gas. In other words: it is still possible to cook on the gas stove and to take a hot shower.
Higher prices
This does not alter the fact that consumers will notice something in their wallets. GasTerra bought the extra gas on the international gas market. And prices there have been sky high for months.
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And the company cannot rule out the possibility that these high prices will also be passed on to consumers, although GasTerra will do its best to prevent this. “By anticipating early, we try to minimize the effects on the market,” said a company spokesperson.
In the summer this will still be possible, but in the winter this could become more difficult, says Aad Correljé, expert at TU Delft. “A lot has already been contracted.” LNG, for example, which is also in high demand in Asia.
And filling the gas reserves will also be more difficult without the Russian gas, according to Correljé. “We won’t see that until the winter.”
Putin’s demand
The reason for the conflict with Gazprom is Russian President Vladimir Putin’s demand that all energy Russia supplies to Europe should be billed in rubles. GasTerra refuses to comply with this, because this would circumvent the sanctions against Russia.
The Netherlands is not the first country that is no longer supplied with gas. Previously, Poland, Bulgaria and Finland were also closed for the same reason.
Via German subsidiary
Vattenfall and Eneco, two of the three largest energy companies in our country, continue to receive gas from Gazprom. At Vattenfall is possible because the company does not have to pay in rubles, according to a spokesperson because the company has not entered into long-term contracts. And Eneco gets its gas from Wingas, the German subsidiary of Gazprom.
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