Dilemmas of Duality: Gas Market Reform in the Netherlands

Abstract

This chapter analyzes recent changes in the Dutch gas market and Dutch gas industry. It briefly summarizes the history of Dutch gas and then continues with the analyses of liberalization and its impact on the Dutch gas industry and the Dutch gas market. From the very beginning, the Netherlands adopted a public property orientation in national gas policies, combining long-term security of domestic gas consumption with a long-term strategic reserve policy. The strategy of overwhelming the country with natural gas turned out to be successful. The exploitation of the Dutch gas reserves was assumed to benefit the Dutch society as much as possible and state participation and taxation assured a flow of gas revenues to the national Treasury. The EU energy market harmonization debate forced the Netherlands to reconsider the prospects of Dutch gas production in the European context. The second point of debate concentrated on continuing the strategic depletion policy pursuing cost-effective exploitation of the small gas fields. The last, but not the least, point of debate concentrated on the impact of liberalization on gas revenues for the Treasury. The chapter ends with some final remarks on prospects of the Dutch gas industry