Abu Dhabi gets approval for gas storage development in the Netherlands

Abu Dhabi National Energy Company (TAQA) has won approval from the Dutch Council of State for the development of the Bergermeer Gas Storage facility in the Netherlands.

The Bergermeer Gas Storage facility is touted to be Europe’s largest open access gas storage facility, and will provide 4.1 billion cubic metres of seasonal storage, nearly doubling the Netherlands’ total storage capacity.

The facility will be located 2,500m underground near Alkmaar city, and involves re-using a depleted Bergermeer gas reservoir.

TAQA said the decision of the Council of State is the final stage of a transparent and meticulous process in which environmental concerns have been the "absolute highest priority".

The approval will allow TAQA and its project partner EBN to begin the preparatory work of the plant, after which the site work will commence in July.

The partners plan to spend more than €800m in the drilling 14 wells, constructing a gas treatment installation in Alkmaar and laying intervening 40km pipelines.

Operations of the storage facility are scheduled to commence in April 2014 with partial capacity, and the entire commercial operations are set begin in April 2015.