Netherlands Breaks Dependence from Russian Gas

The Netherlands is no longer dependent on Russian gas, its energy minister has told Reuters in an interview but as a major regional storage and transport hub, Europe is still exposed.

• "We've seen huge energy savings in the first six months of this year, cutting gas usage by almost 33%," Energy Minister Rob Jetten said in the interview.
• "We're doing a lot of extra work to make sure that our gas storages are filled," Jetten said, adding, "But if Russia cuts its supplies in the short term, it would affect other countries such as Germany, it would also affect the Netherlands. So we will face a European issue, a European crisis, if the Russian gas supply drops on very short term."
• Jetten said the countries Groningen gas field could be called upon in the event of a complete Russian gas cut-off. The Netherlands has been hesitant to turn to the field because of the onshore earthquakes it has caused in the past.
• The Netherlands has pushed to reduce gas consumption to move away from Russian flows, "We've seen huge energy savings in the first six months of this year, cutting gas usage by almost 33%," Jetten said.
• The Dutch government has turned towards the LNG market and has plans to double its import capacity to 24 bcm this year, in part to help other European nations.