The gas storage in Bergen is an important part of our national gas stock. However, this was not filled by the Russian state company Gazprom last summer and the bottom is in sight. Gazprom refuses to do anything about it. According to those involved and lawyers, this problem can only be solved by buying out the main owner Taqa.
De Volkskrant reports this today based on its own research.
Fifteen years ago, the underground storage in and around Bergen was constructed in an empty gas field. When filled, the Bergermeer reservoir can provide about 10 percent of the total annual consumption in the Netherlands.
No influence
State-owned Taqa from Abu Dhabi owns 60 percent of the storage, the Dutch government owns 40 percent of the shares through state-owned Energy Management Netherlands (EBN). The Russian Gazprom is involved in the gas storage as a supplier for the so-called ‘pillow gas’.
This gas is needed to give an empty reservoir enough pressure so that gas can be pumped in and out quickly. In exchange for almost 4 billion cubic meters of gas, Gazprom can use 40 percent of the storage free of charge until 2045.
Because the storage is commercially managed, the Dutch government currently has ‘barely influence’ on how full the storage is, according to the newspaper.
Premeditated
That did not seem to be a problem until now, until Gazprom stopped filling the field last summer, the newspaper reports. “We can now guess the reason,” said State Secretary for Mining Hans Vijlbrief recently in the House of Representatives.
“It is generally assumed that with a view to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Gazprom wanted to store as little gas as possible in Europe,” de Volkskrant explains.
Total takeover
But this situation can no longer be; aIf Gazprom leaves its part of the gas storage empty again this summer, there will be a gas shortage next winter.
That is why the cabinet wants to ensure that the storage space of Gazprom is completely full again this summer. That is also necessary, if the cabinet wants to keep to its own coalition agreement – and the agreements in Europe – to fill all gas storages to at least 80 percent this summer.
Those involved and lawyers report to de Volkskrant that if Gazprom stands firm, there is really no other option than to buy out Taqa. The Netherlands will then become a 100 percent shareholder in the gas storage facility.
There may be other options, but they can lead to a complicated legal battle. And there’s no time for that, because just filling the storage takes 150 days.
According to de Volkskrant, a takeover of the Taqa gas storage facility would ‘probably turn out very well’. However, the company declined to comment on this.