Natural gas and oil reserves on the Dutch territory; national accounts
| Periods | Natural gas reserves Opening stock (bn Sm³) | Natural gas reserves New discoveries (bn Sm³) | Natural gas reserves Re-evaluation (bn Sm³) | Natural gas reserves Extraction (bn Sm³) | Natural gas reserves Balance of storage (bn Sm³) | Natural gas reserves Other changes (bn Sm³) | Natural gas reserves Closing stock (bn Sm³) | Oil reserves Opening stock (mln Sm³) | Oil reserves New discoveries (mln Sm³) | Oil reserves Re-evaluation (mln Sm³) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023* | 104 | . | -14.8 | -10.8 | 1.09 | -1.09 | 78 | 16.3 | . | -1.6 |
| Source: CBS, TNO | ||||||||||
Table explanation
The (physical) natural gas and oil reserves consist of (socially responsible and commercially viable) extractable quantities of natural gas and oil found in the Netherlands, plus the amount pending development. After the closure of the ‘Groningen’ gas field in 2024, the Netherlands still has the so-called ‘small natural gas and oil fields’ on land (among which also the wells in the Wadden sea) and fields in the North Sea.
The reserves are estimated with the physical data on natural gas and oil reserves that are derived from the annual publication “Natural resources and geothermal energy in the Netherlands” by TNO commissioned by the Ministry of Economic Affairs/Climate and Green Growth. Definitions and data are in accordance with the Petroleum Resource Management System which has been used by TNO since 2013. For reasons of consistency with Dutch environmental accounts and national accounts terminology, we have opted to use reserves rather than resources as used in the TNO report.
The opening stock of the reserves is 1 January and the closing stock is 31 December. Stocks and flows in the Statline table are measured in Sm3. In 2018, there was a substantial downward adjustment of the gas reserves in the Groningen gas field, and in 2024, the gas field is permanently closed.
The table is part of the environmental accounts. The environmental accounts quantify the relationship between the economy and the environment. To arrive at a consistent statistical description of this relationship, the environmental accounts are in line with the classifications and definitions of the national accounts. As a result, environmental figures from the environmental accounts deviate in a number of cases from the environmental figures elsewhere on the CBS website.
Data available from: 1987
Status of the figures:
The figures in this table for the last year are provisional. The figures for the other years are final.
Changes as of September 3th, 2024
The provisional figures for 2023 have been added. There has also been a change in the detailing of the balance items. Previously, there were two items for reserve flows: ‘New discoveries’ and ‘Extraction and other changes’. This last item is now further divided into ‘Re-evaluation’, ‘Extraction’, ‘Balance of storage’ (the balance of injected and retrieved gas from the underground gas storages), and ‘Other changes’.
When will new figures be published?
New figures are published annually end of August.
Description topics
- Natural gas reserves
- The reserves consist of the amount of natural gas in the Netherlands which has been discovered and considered extractable (socially responsible and commercially viable), increased by the amount in gas fields pending development.
- Opening stock
- The opening stock consists of the amount of reserves as of 1 January of the reporting year. The opening stock is equal to the closing stock of the previous year.
- New discoveries
- Newly discovered gas fields on the Dutch territory. From 2018 onwards, the TNO source data about new discoveries are confidential and part of the balance item ‘re-evaluation’.
- Re-evaluation
- Adjustments of estimates of existing reserves as a result of technical changes (e.g. new technologies), from the point of view of social responsibility (safety and feelings of security among the population) and/or changes in economic conditions (different market circumstances, price changes). Re-evaluations can be positive or negative.
- Extraction
- Extraction of natural gas (at the expense of the reserve).
- Balance of storage
- The net balance of injected and retrieved natural gas out of the underground storage of natural gas. If more gas is extracted than stored, this will be at the expense of the reserves. Before 1995 there was no gas storage, and logically no data is available. In 1995 the construction of the gas storages started.
- Other changes
- Other adjustments, among other things changes in method.
- Closing stock
- The closing stock consists of the amount of reserves as of 31 December of the reporting year. The closing stock is the opening stock of the next year.
- Oil reserves
- The reserves consist of the amount of oil in the Netherlands which has been discovered and considered extractable (socially responsible and commercially viable), increased by the amount in gas fields pending development.
- Opening stock
- The opening stock consists of the amount of reserves as of 1 January of the reporting year. The opening stock is equal to the closing stock of the previous year.
- New discoveries
- Newly discovered oil accumulations on the Dutch territory. The TNO source data on new discoveries are confidential and part of the balance item ‘re-evaluation’. Oil accumulation: a natural, isolated accumulation of oil in a subsurface reservoir consisting of a porous rock that is capped or enclosed by an impermeable rock.
- Re-evaluation
- Adjustments of estimates of existing reserves as a result of technical changes (e.g. new technologies), from the point of view of social responsibility (safety and feelings of security among the population) and/or changes in economic conditions (different market circumstances). Re-evaluations can be positive or negative. There are no TNO source data known for re-evaluations in the years before 2003.