01 Foreword by the Executive Board

Gasunie keeps pace with this rapidly changing world, so that businesses and households across north-western Europe continue to be assured of reliable access to energy. We do this by building on decades worth of diversification that started with the construction of the Dutch national gas transmission network and also includes the development of gas storage facilities, LNG terminals and the scale-up of cross-border connections to Germany and the United Kingdom. All of these activities have given us a solid foundation from which we can focus on interconnecting various energy carriers and infrastructures, such as pipelines, terminals and storage facilities, empowering suppliers to get energy to their customers in multiple fossil, low-carbon and sustainable forms, with the lowest possible risk of disruptions.

In a different context, the energy transition has gained additional urgency. It has become a crucial means to an end, i.e. to make our society more independent and stay competitive on the global stage, while at the same time combating global warming. We will be putting this into practice in 2026 and 2027 by transporting and storing new energy on a large scale, alongside natural gas. Porthos is set to become one of the European Union's first functioning CO₂ transport and storage systems. Following the investment decision in 2023, the Rotterdam Hydrogen Network will give the European hydrogen economy a significant boost from 2026 onwards. And the first phase of the WarmtelinQ heat network is also nearing completion.

At the same time, we work to guarantee energy security and keep energy affordable. Increasing LNG capacity at Gate terminal, developing the German LNG terminal and the preparations for the possible extension of the operational period for EemsEnergyTerminal will strengthen the European energy system’s resilience and flexibility. This is urgently needed, as EU Member States are set to completely stop importing Russian pipeline gas and LNG.

Protecting our infrastructure against all forms of sabotage that threaten the undisrupted supply of energy is also something we are closely focusing on. Electricity, natural gas and supporting digital networks are all interconnected, meaning that failure in one system can have domino effects on others. Digitalisation and automation increase complexity and the risk of cyberattacks. We are working closely together with Dutch and European fellow transmission system operators, ministries and other government bodies to protect our vital infrastructure and safeguard the continuity of our energy supply.

We are bringing essential energy transition infrastructure to life, with hydrogen projects such as the Dutch hydrogen transmission network, Hyperlink, HyStock, ACE Terminal and Delta Rhine Corridor. Along with future CCS projects, i.e. Aramis, CO₂Next, Delta Rhine Corridor and Delta Schelde CO₂nnection, these projects will make up the backbone of a new, more sustainable economy.

This is how we help industries decarbonise thanks to sufficient access to growing volumes of biomethane and are getting ahead of the curve in positioning the Netherlands as a leading sustainable energy hub in north-western Europe. WarmtelinQ is the sustainable heat network that we are creating to provide households and businesses in the province of Zuid-Holland with cleaner and more easily accessible heat, while at the same time reducing natural gas consumption.

We welcome the growing recognition of how important industry is for the Netherlands, as set out by the Wennink report that was published in December 2025. We see this report as a key guiding document for the new Dutch government, specifying four enabling conditions for investments and growth. One of these enabling conditions is providing access to affordable and reliable energy in the long term through a diversified energy system where electrons and molecules exist side by side, with sufficient energy storage capacity as a buffer.

Gasunie is also advocating for a diverse energy mix. Electrification is coming up against its limits. Due to the slowing energy transition and persistent power grid congestion, we are going to need natural gas for longer than anticipated, as alternatives to both natural gas and electricity are not materialising fast enough. As a result, businesses and households are unable to go sustainable as quickly as they might want. Gas consumption levels have been falling over the past five years not so much due to sustainability measures or electrification, but rather due to reduced economic activity, i.e. less production and even companies ceasing operations altogether. This is not making the Netherlands any stronger. An energy system that combines electricity and sustainable gases, and makes the most of the existing infrastructure, is faster to develop, more affordable and far more robust. By linking wind power generation to hydrogen production, we can use more energy from wind farms, which will improve affordability. This way the energy transition will still be feasible, affordable and reliable for all.

Along with the need to broaden our energy mix, we are looking into specific solutions that we can already use now to increase affordability and feasibility. One such solution is provided by hybrid heat pumps: they reduce grid congestion and keep costs under control, because they cover most of the heat demand using electricity and only use gas during times of peak demand. Two billion cubic metres of biomethane would be enough to make as many as four million households fully climate neutral using hybrid heat pumps.

Low-carbon hydrogen, also known as ‘blue hydrogen’, can play another key role here, as it is more affordable and enables decarbonisation in hard-to-abate sectors were electrification is not feasible, such as oil refineries and the petrochemical industry, which are currently still using grey hydrogen. On top of that, hydrogen can also be used to help balance the power grid, for example at large power consumers, such as data centres. This will give such companies a greater choice of locations in areas where the power grid is currently full and cannot accommodate new connections, and it will accelerate implementation of new projects.

Our networks offer options for affordable short‑term CO₂ reduction. In 2025 Tata announced its plan to phase out coal by 2030 and switch to natural gas as a first step. With this, we contribute to Tata’s ambition to reduce more than five megatonnes of CO₂ emissions annually— approximately five percent of the Netherlands’ total CO₂ emissions. Gasunie Transport Services can deliver this major connection on time.

Finally, gas-fired power stations will continue to be needed to top up the growing share of solar and wind power, and guarantee security of supply. In the future, these power stations will reduce their use of natural gas by switching to alternatives such as hydrogen. Additionally, carbon capture and storage (CCS) will store captured CO₂ under the North Sea bed. Projects such as Porthos and Aramis will create storage capacity for roughly half of all industrial carbon emissions in the Netherlands over the coming years.

In 2026, we will continue to embed artificial intelligence (AI) across our operations. AI enhances the safety, reliability and efficiency of our infrastructure and supports employees in the field, control rooms and office functions. We are accelerating adoption along four pathways: network control, market and customer processes, maintenance, and projects. AI enables real time energy flow analysis, supports technicians through digital assistants, and speeds up project preparation and execution, while also improving office processes. Responsible use, data governance, a human in the loop approach and training remain central. This positions AI as a strategic core competence for a safe, affordable and sustainable energy system.