The Netherlands became more dependent on foreign energy in recent years, but did reduce the Russian gas share

Dutch dependence on energy from abroad has increased in recent years, partly due to the closure of the Groningen gas fields. Between 2015 and 2024, the share of foreign energy in the Netherlands increased from 70 to 78 percent, it turns out From Thursday morning published CBS research.

In that period, the United States grew to be the most important foreign source: from 4 percent to 24 percent in 2015 in 2024. At the same time, the percentage of Russian energy in the Netherlands has decreased sharply in recent years.

From 2018, the Netherlands gradually reduced the dependence on Russian petroleum and natural gas. The Russian invasion in Ukraine in February 2022 caused an acceleration of that development. A year after the Russian raid, the share of gas from that country was reduced to around 3 percent. The open hole was largely filled with American gas.

In addition to geopolitical developments, the closure of the Groningen gas fields also played a role in dependence on foreign energy. Since 2014, the Dutch cabinet decided to close the gas wells step by step due to the earthquake damage in Groningen. In 2024 the last Groningen gas field closed. In the same period, the Netherlands also won more and more renewable energy, out of wind and sun.

Sanctions

After Russia unleashed a war in Ukraine, the Member States of the European Union introduced various sanctions packages. The aim was to brusher the Russian economy and to isolate Moscow from world trade. Russian banks, for example, were closed off from the international payment system Swift.

At the same time, Europe announced that dependence on Russian energy even further. That has had an effect: in 2021 the EU as a whole was still 19 percent dependent on Russian gas, two years later that percentage fell to 3 percent. Not Russia was the most important source of supply for energy, but Norway. Dependence on American gas also increased.

The total dependence on energy from countries from outside the EU remained the same between 2015 and 2023: around 56 percent. For natural gas, the Member States are mainly dependent on Algeria, and for raw oil from Kaszachstan. Countries such as Nigeria, Libya, Iraq and Saudi Arabia are still important for the supply of petroleum.

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