Natural gas consumption 4 percent lower in 2021
From 2012 to 2020, total natural gas consumption fluctuated between 38 and 44 billion m3. Households, power plants and the construction sector each accounted for approximately 25 percent on average.
| Maand | 2020 (bn m3) | 2021 (bn m3) |
|---|---|---|
| January | 4.986 | 5.547 |
| February | 4.357 | 4.621 |
| March | 4.109 | 4.411 |
| April | 2.803 | 3.656 |
| May | 2.745 | 2.978 |
| June | 2.514 | 2.307 |
| July | 2.806 | 2.165 |
| August | 2.766 | 1.842 |
| September | 2.697 | 2.123 |
| October | 3.416 | 2.573 |
| November | 3.811 | 3.659 |
| December | 4.823 | 4.203 |
Less natural gas consumed in power plants and in manufacturing
Power stations and the manufacturing industry consumed less natural gas in 2021 compared to 2020, partly due to higher prices and the reduced supply on the gas market. Power plants used 29 percent less natural gas to produce electricity for their central electricity production compared to 2020. The decline in electricity production by gas-fired power stations was compensated for by higher imports and electricity production from renewable sources and by coal-fired power stations.
The indicators for natural gas consumption in manufacturing show that substantially less gas was consumed by industrial users in the second half of 2021.
| Maand | 2020 (bn m3) | 2021 (bn m3) |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1.128 | 0.833 |
| February | 0.834 | 0.838 |
| March | 0.740 | 0.853 |
| April | 0.623 | 0.607 |
| May | 0.790 | 0.546 |
| June | 0.886 | 0.733 |
| July | 1.079 | 0.553 |
| August | 1.152 | 0.239 |
| September | 0.894 | 0.490 |
| October | 0.765 | 0.383 |
| November | 0.890 | 0.797 |
| December | 0.878 | 0.701 |
Natural gas imports declined
Before 2018, the Netherlands was a net exporter of natural gas. However, it has become dependent on gas imports due to limits on gas production in the province of Groningen. At 13.4 billion m3, the net imports of natural gas were however substantially lower in 2021 than in 2020 (18.8 billion m3). Last year’s lower net imports are related to a high gas price and the shortage of available natural gas on the European market.
Due to the relatively large presence of gas storage facilities in the Netherlands and the seasonal variation in domestic and foreign demand, there is a strong seasonal pattern in net imports. In the summer, the storages are filled with domestic and foreign gas, while in the winter the demand for gas is met by deliveries from the storages and by domestic extraction. Unlike in 2020, the Netherlands was still a net gas exporter on a monthly basis at the beginning and end of 2021.
| Maand | 2020 (bn m3) | 2021 (bn m3) |
|---|---|---|
| January | 0.647 | -0.624 |
| February | 0.671 | 0.339 |
| March | 0.793 | 1.305 |
| April | 1.855 | 0.959 |
| May | 1.944 | 1.255 |
| June | 2.259 | 2.254 |
| July | 2.247 | 1.730 |
| August | 2.141 | 1.826 |
| September | 2.722 | 2.299 |
| October | 1.278 | 1.264 |
| November | 1.420 | 1.132 |
| December | 0.814 | -0.328 |
| 1)Total imports minus total exports of natural gas. | ||
Less gas extracted and held in storage
The extraction of natural gas from Dutch gas fields has declined. In 2021, total gas extraction from Dutch fields stood at 20.6 billion m3, whereas in 2020 this was still 22.8 billion. At the end of December 2021, underground storage facilities still contained 5 billion m3 of natural gas, down from 11 billion in December 2020. This lower filling rate is a good indicator for the shortage on the market.