07 Circularity

In June, the Dutch Minister of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy appointed Gasunie as operator of the future hydrogen network in the North Sea. In this role, we will look at how the existing gas infrastructure in the North Sea can be repurposed. Given that natural gas will continue to be extracted from the North Sea in the coming decades as well, some natural gas flows may have to be diverted to enable the reuse of pipelines. Pipelines that could possibly be considered for repurposing (in whole or in part) are the NGT pipeline and the NOGAT pipeline. Gasunie will receive a grant from the Climate Fund to study the possibilities of repurposing the pipelines. Aside from this, we are also investigating whether and how we can eventually reuse the BBL transport pipeline.

Safety, circularity, biodiversity and positive relationships with local communities are key elements in the ten-year framework agreements Gasunie signed with six contractors in April. These framework agreements cover topics like the maintenance and management of existing natural gas pipelines and the construction of new pipelines for hydrogen, biomethane and CO₂, and much more. The agreements encompass a maximum investment volume of € 4 billion for all six contractors, spread over a period of 10 years. Through these framework agreements, among other measures, Gasunie is targeting the use of zero-emission construction sites by 2030.

This year, Gasunie’s head office will undergo a complete overhaul to prepare the building for the future. Our goal is to reuse as much of the existing materials as possible. For this purpose, a list of ‘harvested materials’, i.e. materials ‘released’ during refurbishment that could possibly be reused as custom furniture or as building materials, is being drawn up. So, in this project, we are trying to achieve the highest possible level of circularity while also possibly being able to still see recognisable parts of our building’s ‘DNA’ in the refurbished spaces. We make construction decisions not only based on costs, but also on the basis of emissions impact over the entire lifespan of materials and resources. Lastly, we would like to use social enterprises during construction, where possible, and focus on social return in terms of employment participation.