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April 23, 2025

Why Dutch gas supports the energy transition

Although the Netherlands is committed to a fully sustainable energy supply, natural gas remains indispensable for the time being On Wednesday, April 23, 2025, Minister Sophie Hermans (Climate and Green Growth), Gerda Verburg (chairman of Element NL) and Jan Willem van Hoogstraten (CEO EBN) signed at Campus@Sea, with a view to the North Sea, the Gas Extraction Sector Agreement in the Energy Transition.

Minister Sophie Hermans:
“In an increasingly unstable world, it is important that we take responsibility for our energy supply ourselves This agreement helps us move forward: with less foreign dependence, fewer emissions and with an eye to the future, we use what is left, with an eye to the climate and future generations.”

Why gas extraction is still necessary (and convenient)

The Netherlands is switching to renewable energy, but natural gas remains a necessary link for the time being, most houses are still heated with gas and industry cannot do without it, homegrown gas is cleaner than imported LNG, reduces our dependence on other countries and helps to keep energy costs manageable, in addition, existing infrastructure remains available for future applications such as CO2 storage and hydrogen transport.

The agreement contains, among other things, the following concrete agreements:

• More efficient cooperation
  The government and sector will work more closely together to reduce costs and risks.
• Joint regionalplanning
  There will be joint planning (region programming) of projects at sea.
• Faster and more transparent permitting process
  Permit procedures become faster, clearer and predictable, of course, without sacrificing care.

Campus@Sea proudly hosted this important signing The meeting highlighted the importance of collaboration between government, industry and knowledge institutions in the sustainable energy transition and the North Sea’s commitment to it.

Read the full agreement here (in Dutch).