Europe’s demand for natural gas is increasing and with it the need for additional transmission capacity. That is especially true in the Netherlands.
Gas Transport Services BV (GTS), Groningen, operator of the Dutch national gas transmission grid, believes substantial future investment in the country’s transport system is needed to meet this growing demand.
GTS is currently investigating the nature and quantity of the country’s natural gas demand. Talks are taking place with foreign and domestic market parties. By the end of this year, a decision concerning whether and where to invest will be made in the gas transmission grid.
The growing demand for transport capacity is also reflected by the Netherlands’s 2004 throughput figures. Last year there was a significant rise in the transport of natural gas; 97.3 billion cu m in 2004 as opposed to 87.2 billion cu m in both 2003 and 2002. Gas transport to neighboring countries was especially increased last year.
In 2004, trade at the Title Transfer Facility (TTF), the virtual trading platform of GTS, increased as well. About 2.5 billion cu m of natural gas were traded at the TTF in 2004 vs. 1.3 billion cu m in 2003. At the end of 2004, 40 parties were registered as TTF users. That is an increase of 10 from the previous year.
The total turnover of the GTS package of services was €1.4 billion in 2004, equal to the 2003 turnover. In 2004, the transport tariffs were again lowered by 5% in compliance with the regulator of the energy market, the Office for Energy Regulation. The 2005 tariffs were lowered by the same percentage. For the tariffs in the period of 2006-09, new directives will be drawn up in 2005.
One of the most important tasks of GTS is to ensure the nondiscriminatory transport of natural gas to promote a well-functioning gas market. ✦
