Natural Gas in the Netherlands. From Cooperation to Competition?

In eight chapters the authors sketch in detail the history, development and radical changes of the Dutch gas system, which they describe as {sup a}n extremely complex phenomenon{sup .} From coal mining to the very first discovery of natural gas in 1948, the giant Groningen field in 1959 and the hundreds of smaller fields, from the gas distribution, the gas exports and the Dutch contribution to a European gas market and the fascinating impact on the national economy, readers are guided on a tour through the Dutch energy policy. In an Annex the geological aspects of gas and hydrocarbons are described. Interviews with experts from the gas sector, and with politicians, former ministers, civil servants and bankers illuminate many issues further. As becomes clear from Natural Gas in the Netherlands, the role of the Dutch government has been essential in both the development and the commercial strategy of the gas sector. Public policy was often a compromise between conflicting political objectives like the level of gas prices, the size of the state revenues, the rate of depletion and the development of new reserves. Public policy had to take into account the intervening interests of the various oil companies involved in the exploration and production of gas, struggling to achieve reasonable remuneration. The authors explain how a balance was struck between these conflicting interests in the subsequent periods, while also dealing with the changes in the oil prices, the supply and consumption levels of gas and shifts in environmental perspectives.