Netherlands Pushes to Scrap EU Gas Storage Mandate After $1.14 Billion Bill

The Netherlands considers that the current EU system of gas storage targets ahead of winter is inadequate and burdens governments that have to pay for meeting the EU-wide obligations. The Dutch government has already spent almost $1.14 billion (1 billion euros) this summer season alone on building up inventories, while this task should fall mostly on the gas market participants, Climate Minister Stientje van Veldhoven said in a letter to Parliament cited by Bloomberg. The Netherlands is a relatively small EU gas consumer, but it is a major natural…