Press release

Groningen, 19 July 2023 - Gasunie’s revenue over the first half of 2023 came in at € 1,103 million, up 23% on the same period last year. A large part of this increase can be attributed to the EemsEnergyTerminal, which was not yet in operation in the first half of 2022. The regulated network operators of Gasunie in the Netherlands (GTS) and in Germany (GUD) saw revenue climb by 9% and 14%, respectively. On the other hand, Gasunie also faced rising costs. With the arrival of the EemsEnergyTerminal and the many energy transition projects Gasunie is working on, energy costs and operating expenses are both rising, with the result that net profit rose less than revenue (increase of 17% to € 266 million). 

“In terms of the energy transition, we took major steps in the first six months of the year in implementing our Vision 2030,” says Gasunie CEO Han Fennema. “For example, we took the final investment decision for the construction of the hydrogen pipeline at the Port of Rotterdam. This is the first section of the national hydrogen network that will position the Netherlands as the first country in Europe to have the infrastructure for the import and transmission of hydrogen up and running. We also took the first steps towards realising the Delta Rhine Corridor. We are in the starting blocks for the Porthos project while awaiting the ruling of the Council of State. The construction of WarmtelinQ is on schedule and SKW Alkmaar fed green gas into GTS’s network for the first time.”

Gasunie CFO Janneke Hermes adds, “We are also pleased with the recent decision of the Dutch Trade and Industry Appeals Tribunal on the manner in which regulatory authority ACM regulates GTS. Their methodology decision needs to be transparent and explainable. This decision improves the position of GTS, as well as that of other, future network operators under Gasunie, such as those for heat and hydrogen.”

Gasunie transported a total of 516 TWh of natural gas in the first half of 2023, which is 10% less than in the same period last year. In the Netherlands, Gasunie subsidiary GTS transported 377 TWh of natural gas in the first half of 2023, 3% less than in the first half of 2022. This is also the lowest volume GTS has ever transported over the first six months of a year. Due to the high gas prices and the mild winter, there was less demand for gas from businesses and private consumers. As a result, the gas storage facilities remained relatively well filled, meaning less gas needed to be directed to these storage facilities. In Germany, Gasunie subsidiary GUD transported 139 TWh of natural gas in the first half of 2023, which is 24% less than in the same period last year.

Over the past six months, the Netherlands exported 94% more high-calorific gas (H-gas) than in the first half of last year. This increase was exclusively attributable to Germany, which needs the gas to replace the lost imports from Russia. H-gas exports to Belgium and the UK, on the other hand, fell sharply. In the first six months of 2023, gas from the Groningen field accounted for only 4% of all natural gas entering the GTS grid, compared with 12% in the same period last year. To facilitate the closure of the Groningen field, Gasunie is working on the construction of a new nitrogen plant in Zuidbroek that can convert imported high-calorific gas into low-calorific, ‘Groningen quality’ gas. Thanks to new agreements with the main contractor, the plant is expected to be commissioned in October.

Today, Gasunie is also publishing its Climate Plan. This plan provides an overview of all the actions initiated by Gasunie in its efforts to combat global warming, covering matters like sustainable financing, targeting decarbonisation among infrastructure users, reducing own emissions, and system integration. With this Climate Plan, Gasunie joins a growing group of state-owned companies that are putting climate accountability into practice.