Due to the fierce cold this week, households and companies burned so much more gas that the gas storage facilities must be used. According to Gasunie, gas consumption has risen by almost a third in a short period of time.
After the gas storages were more than 93 percent full in mid-October, the filling level has already dropped by more than 10 percent. Gasunie sees that it has been particularly hard in the last few days thanks to the frost. “Gas consumption has been 30 percent higher since the beginning of December,” says spokeswoman Marie-Lou Gregoire. We can handle that just fine, provided the winter is not extreme. “What we now use in terms of gas reserves must be supplemented next year.”
Professor of energy transition Martien Visser, also Strategy manager at Gasunie, estimates that the Netherlands uses up to 1.5 billion cubic meters of gas in a week due to the cold. “Our total consumption was more than 27 billion cubic meters until the end of November, so these are considerable quantities.” On Monday alone, citizens and companies used about 200 million cubic meters of gas, he says. That happened again on Tuesday. “That’s quite a lot.”
Additional storage capacity
It ensures that the gas supply is running at full speed. “In addition to gas production from our own small fields and gas supplied via LNG ships and the pipe connection with Norway, the gas storage facilities must also be used,” says Visser. He also states that this should not normally be a problem.
Due to the winter weather, we use up to 1.5 billion cubic meters of gas in a week
In order to have enough gas in the future, Gasunie wants to quickly further increase the storage capacity of liquefied gas, LNG. “This is how we prevent gas shortages,” says spokeswoman Gregoire. This includes additional floating gas storage in Terneuzen. The existing storage facilities in the port of Rotterdam and Eemshaven in Groningen – the capacity has already doubled from 12 to 24 billion cubic meters – will also be expanded further.
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Despite the high consumption, the Dutch continue to set the thermostat as low as possible, energy supplier Eneco sees. “Although significantly more gas is consumed due to the cold, consumption remains lower than before in such cold weather,” says spokesman Niels Stet.
Consumption remains lower compared to previous periods of such cold weather
According to Milieu Centraal, an average household consumes approximately 7 cubic meters of gas these days if the thermostat is set to 19 degrees all day. “That is only for heating, a bath or shower is not included,” says Madelon Mintjes, energy expert in the house. However, by lowering the temperature by one degree, considerable savings can be made: 115 cubic meters and as much as 350 euros on an annual basis.
Setting the temperature to 15 degrees during the day also quickly saves two cubic meters of gas per day and more than two decades per week, according to Milieu Centraal. People, meanwhile, can dress warmer or buy an electric blanket.
Although the temperature will rise slightly in the coming days, it will remain cold for the time being, according to Weerplaza, especially at night. The temperatures will not be well above zero again until next Monday.
Roadside assistance
In the meantime, the winter weather is causing the necessary inconveniences on the road. The Wegenwacht received 6500 roadside assistance requests yesterday, 6000 on Monday. That is 40 percent more than normal, says Markus van Tol of the ANWB. “It is mainly starting problems, for example due to batteries that fail.” There are also the necessary plugs of electric cars that are frozen to the car.
Nevertheless, the traffic nuisance is not too bad, according to the ANWB. The Tuesday morning traffic jam was not disproportionate at 800 kilometers. “We now have a dry cold. There are many more problems with ice, snow or rain.”
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