The gas storage facilities in our country are currently more than half full (54.3 percent), reports the Ministry of Economic Affairs Friday. The goal is to have the storage 80 percent full by 1 November at the latest.
The terminals are now slightly fuller than a week and a half ago, when the storage areas were filled for 52.2 percent. According to some experts, it will not be easy to have enough gas in stock before the beginning of November.
Filling is necessary because otherwise households and companies could run out of gas next winter. This year, extra attention is being paid to this, because gas supplies from Russia have come under considerable pressure since the country invaded Ukraine at the end of February.
This is apparent from, among other things, the fact that Russia has supplied Europe with considerably less gas than usual via the important Nord Stream 1 pipeline in recent weeks. This could become even less in the coming weeks, as a result of maintenance on the pipeline.
The overview published by the ministry also shows that we have used less gas in the Netherlands in recent weeks than usual at this time of year. No explanation is given. High gas prices may have made people more economical.
The trading price of gas has risen sharply in recent weeks, mainly because Russia supplies less. For example, a megawatt hour of gas cost 172.20 euros two days ago. That was 88.59 euros four weeks earlier.
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