Reuters reported that Abu Dhabi National Energy Company is in talks with the Dutch government on changing the basis of gas transport tariffs to make the 4.1 billion cubic meter Bergermeer storage facility competitive.
Bergermeer, along with a liquefied natural gas terminal in Rotterdam is an important part of the Netherlands plan to become a European hub for distribution of imported natural gas once the country stops exporting its own gas output in 2025.
Mr Jan Willem van Hoogstraten MD of Taqa's Dutch branch said that at present a company wanting to use storage pays twice to enter the Dutch grid once when gas crosses into the Netherlands and once when it comes out of storage. This situation is fairly unique. To make our storage competitive we need to change that."
Mr Hoogstraten said that the capacity of the Bergermeer facility, located in a depleted gas field that once held 16 billion cubic meters of gas could be doubled to meet demand for extra storage once the biggest Dutch gas field at Groningen runs out after 2020. Technically expansion is possible. It will depend on market fundamentals.
TAQA which is 75% owned by the Abu Dhabi government has a 60 percent stake in the EUR 800 million Bergermeer project which will be partly operational in April 2014 and will reach full capacity 1 year later in April 2015.
Bergermeer would nearly double the Netherlands' gas storage capacity and give it more flexibility in meeting fluctuating demand in northwest Europe, for example in Belgium and the northern parts of Germany and France. Despite the Dutch government's commitment, the project has faced delays and strong local opposition because of fears that injecting gas into the depleted gas field near Alkmaar in the north west of the country could cause strong earth tremors.
Russia's Gazprom has agreed to provide 4 billion cubic meters of cushion gas which remains permanently in storage to maintain pressure in return for 1.9 billion cubic meters of gas in storage.
Mr Adri Pols commercial manager of Bergermeer said that 75% of the cushion gas has already been injected. Statoil ASA, Vattenfall Energy Trading Netherlands and France's EDF agreed last year with Taqa to lease a total of more than 90 percent of the 1 billion cubic meter of annual storage capacity made available in the first open season. TAQA is currently in negotiations with customers to lease another 300 million cubic meters in Bergermeer.
Mr Pols said that the Netherlands and UK will be the most likely markets for the gas stored in Bergermeer as the former gas field is well connected to the gas transport network and is only 20 kilometers away from the BBL pipeline transporting gas to the UK.
Source - Reuters
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