[en] Researchers at the Netherlands Energy Research Foundation (ECN) and the National Institute of Public Health and Environmental Protection (RIVM) project that fossil fuel prices will rise only gradually in the next century. They also expect the gas price mainly to follow the oil price. A stringent global climate policy will do very little to change that. The analysis shows that fossil fuel prices during the next century will depend mainly on the cost of extracting the various conventional and non conventional oil reserves in the world, and by the strategies of OPEC and their allies

[en] In a series of articles, a close look is taken at some foreign newcomers on the Dutch energy market. The second article features UK-based Centrica and Vattenfall from Sweden. Centrica was established early in 1997 when British Gas was split up. BG took the transmission network and all foreign activities, whilst Centrica got the responsibility for the domestic trading activities, the Morecambe gas fields and contracts with British gas producers. Old problems were solved and Centrica could focus on its ambition, namely to be 'the consumer's first choice of energy supply and services'. This seems to be successful thanks to a low-tariff guarantee (two million new customers in one year) and the supply of services such as heating and security systems, mortgages and insurance. For Sweden-based Vattenfall, originally producer of hydroelectricity, production became less important. The focus is now on the supply of added value. For large customers this means managing their energy supply and assistance in energy-efficient operation; for small consumers Vattenfall invests in new products and forms of marketing. A rapid extension of its customer portfolio, e.g. by international takeovers and collaboration, is required to spread R and D costs

[en] At the moment the use telemetering, i.e. remote recording of natural gas, water and electricity consumption at small-scaled consumers, is more expensive than the use of human meter readers. There are, however, some advantages to this modern technique, allowing the meters to be read far more frequently than once a year at virtually the same cost, such as steering of energy consumption and alarm functions. It is expected that telemetering systems for small-scaled consumers will not be applied widely before the year 2000. 2 figs., 12 ills

[en] Thirty four years ago the natural gas field Slochteren in Groningen, Netherlands made the Netherlands into an outstanding natural gas country. Last summer, exactly half of the original 2680 trillion m³ of natural gas has been extracted. According to the projections of the Dutch Gasunie the Dutch gas reserves will be about depleted after another thirty four years. To guarantee continuity of the natural gas supply the natural gas will have to become more expensive. Also considerable investments in storage capacity are needed. Comments and opinions of experts regarding the future of the Dutch natural gas market are presented. 2 figs., 14 ills

[en] This is the third article in a series on the developments in the European natural gas market. Attention is paid to positive and negative impacts of a liberalized energy distribution market, based on experiences with TPA in the USA and in Great Britain

[en] The fourth article in a series about changes in the European natural gas market focuses on Russia, a country with gigantic potential reserves (216,000 billion m³) and a production unequalled in the world (780.4 billion m³ in 1992 in the Russian Federation), but also with enormous economic and technical problems. The question is what role Russia is able to play in the European natural gas supply. Attention is paid to the organizational structure in former Soviet Union regarding the natural gas industry, the environmental effects of exploration and exploitation, the need for foreign capital, and the disappointing progress of the 1991 Energy Charter. On a short term the infrastructure must be improved. Also the conflicts on the price of natural gas transport between the transfer countries Ukraine, Slovenia and Czechoslovakia and the West-European clients must be solved. 1 fig., 7 ills., 2 tabs

[en] The monopolistic utility companies are rapidly turning into customer-oriented and efficient organizations. To be able to put client-oriented ideas into practice the whole organization has to be changed. A new job is that of account manager, the satellite between customer and energy company. Views and experiences of two distribution companies and the Nederlandse Gasunie are given and discussed. 3 ills

[en] According to varying estimates the demand for natural gas will increase by at least 50 percent until 2010. It is feared that short-term supply can not keep pace with this increase. If all projects oriented to the European market are carried out, there will be eventually a surplus. The question is whether customers are willing to pay the high price necessary for making substantial investments in these projects profitable. An overview is given of projects in several countries, aimed at anticipating in the expected deficit of natural gas in the European Community

[en] Deregulation of the Dutch energy market attracts energy companies from all over the world. In this new series of articles the magazine Gas will highlights a few of the foreign newcomers. What know-how do they bring along, what are their ambitions, and what do they have in store for the Dutch energy consumers? In the first feature: Preussen Elektra from Germany and Enron from the United States. PreussenElektra is facing turbulent times. In view of market deregulation it has just gone through a restructuring process, now that the battle for the small consumer is setting off. Conflicts with the German government rise high, the company is making numerous investments abroad, and then there is a pending merger with fellow company Bayernwerk. Enron is doing just fine. The regional gas transmission company developed within fifteen years into a global energy giant. In addition to the actual supply of gas and electricity, the company offers a wide range of new energy services and financial products

[en] For more than 25 years the Netherlands and Russia have supplied Italy with natural gas. Consequently, Italy was the first importer that did not receive natural gas from a neighbouring country, but from sources located more than a thousand kilometers away. These gas import pipelines, among other things, made it possible for Italy to grow into one of the largest gas countries in Europe. Today, natural gas accounts for well over a quarter of primary energy consumption and it is expected to reach a 37% peak by the year 2010. Since the 1950s, almost the entire oil and gas industry is owned by the state-owned holding company ENI ('Ente Nazionale Idrocarburi'). Although privatisation has gained momentum, it seems as if this holding will continue to dominate the gas market in the short term, because, in addition to large-scale import, ENI also controls the logistical elements, transmission and storage