Vision on sustainability

Everyone agrees that we need to make our energy supply more sustainable as quickly as possible. It’s not a simple process, however, especially in the Netherlands which still produces little renewable energy compared to most other European countries. This is partly beyond our control. For example, we don’t have enough hydropower to generate a large proportion of the electricity we require (unlike Norway and the Alpine countries). As a result, in order to make any progress, we are reliant on a number of other sources. Each of these solutions has both advantages and disadvantages. There is limited scope for alternative sources such as wind and solar power, and support – at least where onshore sources are concerned – is not a given. Other sustainable solutions such as geothermal heat and heat networks show promise but are not feasible everywhere. Burning woody biomass is under discussion and there’s a lot of opposition to nuclear energy.

But what about gas? The Netherlands has traditionally relied on natural gas for a significant part of its energy supply. But do we really have to phase out gas completely? It’s gradually dawning on society that without continued large-scale use of gas, ambitious climate targets cannot, in fact, be met. Studies show that natural gas, renewable gas and fully or partially sustainable natural gas all remain indispensable in Europe and certainly therefore also in the Netherlands. The very large volumes to which our ‘gas country’ has been accustomed since the discovery of the mega gas field in Groningen will, of course, fall substantially with the closure of the Groningen field and thanks to the use of new sustainable sources. However, we will need to keep a significant proportion of gas in the overall energy supply for a successful energy and climate policy. Even the government recognises this now. It’s not going to work with renewable electrons (solar, wind, etc.) alone; molecules are still also needed.

This is not a new concept. Since its formation in 2005, GasTerra has always emphasised that natural gas, as a stable energy source and the least harmful fossil fuel, has a key role to play in the energy transition. Initially, this emphasis focused on gas as a bridge fuel. In recent years, thanks to new insights and possibilities, attention has increasingly shifted to the growing use of renewable and sustainable gas in the form of green gas and hydrogen. Natural gas itself can be made climate-neutral by capturing and storing the emitted CO₂ – using the technology developed for this purpose (Carbon Capture and Storage or CCS) – or using it as a raw material thus avoiding emissions.

Natural gas consists mainly of methane. Natural gas has been replaced for many decades and increasingly without problem by renewable gas (green gas), which has broadly the same composition but comes from biological, CO₂-neutral raw materials such as sewage sludge and vegetable residues. Part of the gas supply can also be met by hydrogen that has been produced renewably (from green electricity), both for industry, which already has large-scale hydrogen requirements, and in the built environment where it can be blended into the existing network.

Hydrogen is also a good solution to the problem posed by wind and sun: sometimes there’s too little and sometimes too much. Hydrogen made from surplus green electricity can be stored more easily and cheaply than electricity and can be used for many applications as required. To summarise, the gas sector is going to act differently; above all, we’re going to be more climate-friendly, with green and sustainable gases.

In a nutshell, boilers and gas cookers won’t be found in a museum for a long time yet.

In 2019, GasTerra created an advertising campaign that highlights this vision of sustainability. Check out the different adverts here. Given the recent developments (GasTerra is winding down its activities between now and 31 December 2026), the adverts will no longer be used.