The current filling level of the underground gas storage facilities in the Netherlands amounts to 9,7 % of the total storage capacity. This figure is updated daily and shows how much gas remains in relation to the total available storage volume.

A filling level below 20 percent is considered relatively low from a seasonal perspective, but it is not unusual in late winter, as storage facilities are continuously depleted during the colder months. What matters most is not the absolute percentage, but the speed of the decline. If cold weather accelerates withdrawals, the situation can tighten significantly within just a few weeks. Conversely, milder and more unsettled weather slows down the rate of depletion.

Important reference thresholds are 15 percent (increasing market tension), 10 percent (heightened attention from policymakers and energy suppliers), and levels below that, where imports and market mechanisms are relied upon more intensively. However, a low double-digit percentage does not automatically indicate an immediate supply crisis, as the Netherlands are integrated into the European gas market and can access additional supply sources.

The current value of 9,7 % therefore reflects the seasonal level of depletion. How critical the situation becomes will largely depend on further weather developments and the import situation in the coming weeks.

Which gas storage facilities exist in the Netherlands and what is the total capacity?

The officially reported overall filling level includes five underground storage facilities: the large seasonal gas fields in Norg, Grijpskerk, Alkmaar and Bergermeer, as well as the cavern storage facility in Zuidwending.

The four seasonal storage sites are former gas fields that have been technically adapted for injection and withdrawal. They serve as a strategic winter buffer and can jointly store around 14 billion cubic metres of natural gas. For comparison: the annual gas consumption in the Netherlands is approximately 30 billion cubic metres. Depending on the severity of the winter, between 7 and 11 billion cubic metres are withdrawn from these seasonal storages.

Zuidwending differs technically from the four large facilities. It is a salt cavern storage site that is primarily used to balance short-term fluctuations in demand, for example when many households switch on heating simultaneously in the morning or when gas-fired power plants need to respond quickly to changes in electricity generation. The volumes stored there are significantly smaller compared to the seasonal facilities, but they are included in the overall filling level.

The Dutch gas storage facilities can therefore store around 14 billion cubic metres of natural gas in total. By comparison, the country’s total annual consumption is about 30 billion cubic metres. The storage capacity thus corresponds to almost half of the annual demand or – depending on the severity of the winter – several full winter months when gas demand for heating is particularly high.

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Note: The filling levels published here are updated automatically on a daily basis and are based on the officially published data of the Dutch storage operators.