The Netherlands: Gasunie Unit Transports Almost 1 Billion MWh of Gas in 2011

During 2011, 996 million MWh (102 billion m3) of natural gas was transported by the national gas transport network in the Netherlands. Furthermore, the gas flowed through the pipelines without major interruptions or disruptions to quality.

This is shown by recent annual figures from Gas Transport Services, subsidiary of Gasunie and operator of the Dutch high-pressure transport network.

The greatest volume of gas transported in one day was on Monday 31 January 2011, no less than 4.6 million MWh (468 million m3). Since temperatures last year were higher, relatively speaking, this overall figure is lower than in 2010, which was a record year. More than 1 billion (1084 million) MWh (111 billion m3) of natural gas was transported during that year.

There was also an exclusive innovation for the Dutch gas market in 2011 when, at the beginning of April, a new balancing regime came into operation. This new regime took an important step towards promoting gas trading on the open market and further reinforced the number one position of the Dutch virtual gas trading hub, the TTF, on the European continent. According to the ICIS Heren Tradability Index, which measures the tradability of the various different gas products offered on the hubs, the new balancing regime contributed towards the growth of the TTF.

According to Paul van Gelder, CEO of Gasunie: ‘The figures show that we transport approximately ten times more energy in gas form than in other forms, such as electricity, in the Netherlands. This bears out the important role that gas plays in our future energy mix. For gas is the ideal, stable partner for sustainable energy sources such as solar and wind energy. Green gas volumes are also increasing.”

Investments
Gasunie’s gas infrastructure was extended considerably in the Netherlands during 2011. The extensions have been crucial for guaranteeing security of supply and for making a contribution towards implementation of the government’s gas roundabout policy. For example, last September, the first Dutch liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal Gate was officially opened on the Maasvlakte and a large section of the North-South Route has been brought into use. The national gas network of more than 12,000 kilometres has been extended by around 500 kilometres of pipeline as a result of the North-South Route. This is necessary in order to be able to continue satisfying the rising demand for natural gas, also into the future.

[mappress]
LNG World News Staff, January 17, 2012