Norg
Dutch gas storage facility, 59 TWh working volume; depleted to zero by GasTerra before 1 April 2026 NAM handover.
Last refreshed: 4 May 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
Why was the Netherlands' largest gas storage site completely empty at the start of the 2026 injection season?
Timeline for Norg
Depleted to structural zero by GasTerra ahead of NAM handover
European Energy Markets: Bergermeer carries Dutch injection load alone- What is Norg gas storage and why is it important for the Netherlands?
- Norg is the Netherlands' largest underground gas storage facility, with 59 TWh working volume, located in Drenthe province. It was depleted to structural zero by GasTerra before the 1 April 2026 NAM handover, leaving it without carry-in gas at the start of the critical injection season.Source: European-energy-markets reporting
- How does Norg being empty affect European gas supply this winter?
- Norg at structural zero carry-in means the Netherlands must refill 59 TWh from scratch during the injection season, contributing to the Netherlands holding only 8.95% overall gas storage fill on 25 April, the lowest of any major EU storage nation. With Grijpskerk also at zero, only Bergermeer carried meaningful gas entering the season.Source: European-energy-markets reporting
Background
Norg is a Dutch underground gas storage facility located in Drenthe province in the northern Netherlands, with a working volume of approximately 59 TWh, making it the largest single gas storage facility in the Netherlands. It operates as an aquifer storage facility, injecting gas into a natural underground formation below the village of Norg. The facility serves as a critical buffer for Dutch and broader north-west European gas supply security.
GasTerra depleted Norg to structural zero capacity ahead of the NAM handover on 1 April 2026, leaving the facility without carry-in gas at the start of the 2026/27 injection season. NAM formally assumed operational responsibility for Norg on that date as part of the Groningen field closure agreement. The depletion means Norg must now be refilled from zero across the 2026 injection season, adding to the pressure on the broader EU storage fill trajectory.
With Norg and its sister facility Grijpskerk both at structural zero on 1 April, Bergermeer became the sole large Dutch injection-capable facility with meaningful carry-in entering the season. The Netherlands had overall gas storage at just 8.95% fill on 25 April 2026, the lowest of any major EU storage nation, with Norg's zero carry-in a principal driver of that deficit.
