Continuing what we started

Gasunie has been working for years to meet three main objectives: affordability, reliability, and sustainability. Sustainability is taking shape in projects relating to heat, CO₂, hydrogen and green gas. For the sake of affordability we’re becoming more and more efficient. And reliability, or security of supply, was just a given for years. The Russian invasion of Ukraine suddenly called into question what we had previously taken for granted. Numerous employees, companies, and governments worked tirelessly to maintain the security of supply of natural gas in 2022. And we will have to get a lot done in 2023 too.

‘Partly thanks to the winding down of gas extraction in Groningen, Gasunie was already closely monitoring security of supply’, Han says. ‘But as a society, we had lost sight of the issue to some degree. The Russian aggression really made us face the facts. We have become dependent on a country that has proven to be untrustworthy. Both citizens and businesses are now paying a high price for this, literally and figuratively.’ The current energy crisis therefore serves as an instructive lesson. When it comes to both our natural gas and our future energy system, we should no longer be too heavily dependent on any one country or region.

An important alternative to Russian gas is liquefied natural gas, or LNG, which comes to us by sea. That is why the EemsEnergyTerminal has been built at record speed, why the capacity of the Gate terminal in Rotterdam is being increased, and why we are working on an LNG terminal in Brunsbüttel, Germany. ‘So we have already made the security of supply considerably more robust. Fortunately, this winter has been mild so far, and we have stored up a good supply of gas. But to avoid becoming dependent on Russia even in harsh winters, this robustness needs to be further increased. That’s why we’re working to expand the capacity of the LNG terminals, and to build one more.’

Is the energy transition at a standstill now that all attention is on security of supply? Han says, ‘Far from it. Gasunie, for example, made significant strides in heating, CO₂, hydrogen and green gas projects in 2022. And in Germany we’re also in talks about setting up a hydrogen network. We’ll press on tirelessly until the transition is complete. ‘I’m convinced that this crisis will only accelerate the energy transition. Thanks to climate change, energy from fossil fuels is becoming less and less popular. Moreover, it will never be as inexpensive as it used to be. Green alternatives are thus becoming more and more profitable, and they make us less dependent on Russia, too.’

More renewable forms of energy, less dependence on one country, and ever-increasing integration into a single system for power and gas: with the progress being made on the energy transition, the outlines of a new age in energy are becoming increasingly clear. ‘One example is offshore wind farms that make electricity some of the time and hydrogen some of the time', Han explains. ‘But again, we can no longer bet on the one horse. Our hydrogen will have to come from our own sources as well as from various other countries, precisely so we can avoid becoming dependent again. Natural gas will also remain important for some time. First, the most polluting fossil fuels will disappear, such as coal. Only from 2030 onwards will the importance of natural gas decline rapidly.’

‘If the energy transition is to succeed, we need everything and everyone to pull together: businesses, but also those in politics. Shorten authorisation procedures. Solve the nitrogen problem. Only then can energy-transition projects be implemented quickly. I hope that, in 2023, we can make great strides once again, that security of supply can fade a bit into the background, and that Gasunie will continue to be one of the happiest companies to work for. It is great to see that we are attracting enthusiastic people. On 1 January, for instance, we welcomed over 30 new colleagues. And there will be quite a lot of new employees because, thanks to the energy transition, Gasunie will grow markedly in the coming years. We are bound to encounter new problems and surprises in 2023, too, but if we tackle them together, with partners, government bodies and a happy team of employees, we will manage. Knowing each other, trusting each other, being happy for each other’s achievements: that’s still the best recipe for success.’