TAQA, the international energy and water company from Abu Dhabi, today announced the start of preliminary commercial operations at its Gas Storage Bergermeer facility in the Netherlands.

When complete in 2015, Bergermeer will nearly double the Netherlands' capacity and become the largest third party access gas storage facility in Europe. This will significantly contribute to the security of European energy supply and create more efficient gas markets by increasing competition, a key component of the EU Gas Directive.

Jan Willem van Hoogstraten, Managing Director of TAQA in the Netherlands said, “Gas Storage Bergermeer is one of the biggest, independent investments made in the Netherlands at this time. We’re pleased to have achieved this project milestone safely, on schedule and within budget. Every step of the way, we strive to be a good neighbour to the community and to minimise the impact our activities have on the environment. Our next major milestone is to be fully operational in April 2015.”

Compressors are injecting gas into five wells drilled into the previously depleted Bergermeer reservoir. This milestone marks the completion of the first phase of the project. TAQA and EBN, the Dutch state-owned energy company, have together invested EUR 850 million in the project. In exchange for storage capacity, Gazprom supplied the ‘cushion gas’ following a tender organised in cooperation with the Netherlands’ Authority for Consumers & Markets. Cushion gas is needed to pressurise the reservoir, making commercial operations possible.

Jan Dirk Bokhoven, Managing Director of EBN: “This project gives the once depleted Bergermeer gas field a second life. Natural gas is still the backbone of the Netherlands’ energy supply. Over the next decades, natural gas will remain an important source of energy as the Netherlands slowly transitions to a fuel mix that includes more renewable energy. Once fully operational, Gas Storage Bergermeer will be an essential component in the Netherlands’ energy infrastructure, contributing to European security of supply.”

Construction of Gas Storage Bergermeer started in June 2012. The project consists of an innovative, zero emission gas treatment facility in Alkmaar, 14 new wells in Bergen and eight kilometres of underground pipeline connecting the two locations. It is intended to help energy suppliers store natural gas underground during periods of low demand in the summer and draw it down in the winter, when demand rises.

When fully completed in 2015, Gas Storage Bergermeer will provide 46 terawatt hours (TWh) or 4.1 billion cubic metres (BCM) of gas storage capacity, equivalent to the average annual gas consumption of 2.5 million Dutch households.

TAQA has sold all of the facility’s long-term capacity and plans to auction the remaining short-term capacity in September 2014. Companies that have already booked capacity include Statoil, EDF, Vattenfall and Gazprom.

About TAQA

TAQA, meaning energy in Arabic, is the brand name of Abu Dhabi National Energy Company PJSC. We are an international energy and water company listed in Abu Dhabi operating in 11 countries across four continents.
We strive to be safe and sustainable, and embrace the challenge of delivering affordable and reliable energy and water. We are proud to align our strategy with Abu Dhabi’s Economic Vision 2030, a roadmap for a sustainable economy with a focus on knowledge-based industry.
Our interests lie in conventional and alternative power generation, water desalination, oil and gas exploration and production, pipelines and gas storage. We operate in Canada, Ghana, India, Iraq, Morocco, the Netherlands, Oman, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and the United States.