05 Progress report

Natural gas consumption in the Netherlands increased by 2% in the first half of 2026 (153 TWh) compared with the same period in 2025 (150 TWh). Demand from power stations increased significantly by 12%, marking the third consecutive year of growth in gas transport to the power generation sector, underlining the crucial role natural gas is still playing in the resilience of the electricity system. Gas transported to industry rose modestly (+1%) while volumes delivered to regional distribution network operators decreased (-1%).

Dutch gas storage levels remained substantially below those of the previous year throughout the first half of 2026. Storage facilities were 5% full at the end of the winter season (31 March) and reached 26% by 30 June, compared with 21% and 49%, respectively, in 2025. Gasunie recently highlighted the potential implications of these low storage levels for security of supply for the forthcoming winter season, particularly given ongoing geopolitical uncertainties.

In the first half of 2026, GUD (Gasunie Deutschland) transported 2% more natural gas than in the first half of 2025 (138 TWh compared with 135 TWh in 2025).

Transmission disruptions

In the Netherlands, transport disruptions are defined as the number of times gas supply to an end-user is wholly or partially disrupted, where the cause lies with Gasunie. Our target is that the number of transport interruptions does not exceed six per year. In the first half of 2026, no transport interruptions were recorded (first half of 2025: 1). We therefore are on track to remain within the set target.

Gasunie no longer externally reports separately on 'uncontrolled events'. These will remain part of our internal safety monitoring and management. Emissions from uncontrolled events are included in our Scope 1 emissions.

It is key that infrastructure remains available given the need for energy security and Gasunie takes appropriate measures to ensure that this is the case.

Gate terminal

In January, Gate terminal announced that it had taken a final investment decision (FID) for jetty 4. The new jetty is expected to become operational towards the end of 2028. In addition to the fourth jetty, work on the fourth tank is also advancing. We expect the tank to be ready in the second half of this year, increasing the total capacity of the terminal to 20 billion cubic metres. Gate terminal is an LNG terminal located on the Maasvlakte in Rotterdam and, like EemsEnergyTerminal, is a 50:50 joint venture between Gasunie and Vopak.

German LNG

Construction of German LNG is progressing steadily. The terminal is expected to be ready for use in 2027. German LNG is an LNG terminal in Brunsbüttel. Gasunie holds a 40% stake in German LNG, with the remainder held by Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW) (50%) and RWE (10%).

Tariff Decision GTS

Following the agreement reached in February on a new regulation method for the years 2027–2031 (see Highlights), the Authority for Consumers & Markets (ACM) published the 2027 tariff decision for Gasunie Transport Services (GTS) in May. The tariff decision determines how much revenue GTS is permitted to earn next year and what this means for transport tariffs for its customers. GTS was able to limit the tariff increase for 2027 to 4.5%. This more moderate increase is the result of agreements made under the new method decision, whereby settlements from previous years are spread over multiple years rather than being implemented in a single step, thereby preventing a new spike in tariffs and helping limit the impact on industrial customers. These settlements help reduce cost pressures for industrial users and align with GTS’s objective of providing affordable and reliable gas transport services.

Gasunie is also working to expand its network at the international level. Upcoming cross-border connections with Belgium and Germany will link industrial clusters and Europe's ports. In the first half of 2026, several agreements were signed to support the development of an interconnected hydrogen network. Gasunie and Fluxys, the Belgian TSO, have signed an agreement for a cross-border hydrogen connection between the Netherlands and Belgium. Progress has also been made with Germany. Gasunie and the German TSOs Open Grid Europe (OGE) and Thyssengas have signed an agreement to jointly develop a cross-border connection between the Dutch and German hydrogen networks, with the aim of completion around 2031.

German Hydrogen Network

In the first half of 2026, we focused mainly on the repurposing process of Hyperlink 1 and the preparation and start of the repurposing process of Hyperlink 2. Hyperlink 1 will connect the Dutch border to Hamburg, while Hyperlink 2 will ultimately connect Achim to the Saltzgitter steel plant, other industrial clusters and adjacent networks. In total 174 kilometres were repurposed by the end of June 2026. The planning approval and tendering processes for the new-build sections of Hyperlink 2 were also initiated at the end of Q2. Construction of the new-build pipelines for Hyperlink 2 will start in 2027 and Hyperlink 3 in 2028, respectively.

In March, a User Commitment Process, providing a possibility to reserve transport capacity in Kernnetz, has been started in Germany. Since then, various capacity requests have been submitted and numerous reservation contracts have been signed, including with Gasunie Deutschland. In some cases, demand exceeded supply, but all requests were ultimately accommodated through an overdemand process.

Storage

The Dutch government has put in place policy support measures for the development of the HyStock project totalling € 450 million. HyStock is set to become the Netherlands’ first large-scale underground hydrogen storage facility, consisting of four salt caverns for hydrogen storage and associated above-ground installations. The project will be operated by EnergyStock, a subsidiary of Gasunie. Preparation for hydrogen storage also progressed during the first half of 2026. HyStock started with appraisal drilling which assess how the future salt caverns can be developed in a safe and reliable manner for hydrogen storage.

CO₂

Porthos

Important steps were taken in the Porthos project in the first half of the year. As mentioned in the Highlights section, work on the CO₂ injection wells has been completed. Furthermore, three large compressors were installed on the Maasvlakte, which will be essential for pressurising captured CO₂ for transport and storage beneath the North Sea. The compressor facility is being developed as part of a broader CO₂ infrastructure hub that will also be used by Aramis. In April, following a reassessment of the schedule, it was announced that the project will be delayed and will become operational later than previously stated. Due to the interdependence of various components as well as other factors, such as longer delivery times for materials, the expected start of operations has been postponed to 2027.

Aramis

Aramis is a large-scale CCS project that will transport captured CO₂ from industry to offshore storage sites beneath the North Sea. With a planned capacity of up to 22 million tonnes of CO₂ per year, the project will play an important role in supporting industrial decarbonisation in the Netherlands and north-western Europe. Aramis is a CCS project about ten times larger than Porthos. Following an appeal lodged by a third party in 2025, a court hearing took place in April 2026 regarding the project decision and associated permits for the Aramis CCS project,we are awaiting the final ruling from the court.

Delta Rhine Corridor

The Delta Rhine Corridor cross-border infrastructure project made progress in the first half of 2026. The project procedure for DRC East has been officially launched with the publication of the Notice of Intent and Proposal for Participation. The planning phase DRC West has continued and additional studies for the underground hydrogen and CO₂ pipelines have been announced. The DRC will be the cornerstone of a cross-border CO₂ transport network between Germany and the Netherlands (see Highlights), that will connect industrial clusters in North Rhine-Westphalia (Germany) to offshore storage in the North Sea. The overall project will support the further upscaling of CO₂ storage in Europe.

Heat

WarmtelinQ, a Gasunie subsidiary, is developing the main heat transmission pipeline in the province of South-Holland. In May, WarmtelinQ started construction of 25-kilometre heat network between Rijswijk and Leiden (see Highlights). Through WarmtelinQ, residual heat from the Port of Rotterdam will be used to supply heat to approximately 120,000 homes and commercial buildings. This will be done via local district heating networks operated by third parties.

Green gas

As described in the Highlights section, EemsGas, a joint venture between Perpetual Next and Gasunie, has recently been identified as eligible for an SDE++ operating subsidy of up to € 149.8 million from the Rijksdienst voor Ondernemend Nederland (RVO). Earlier, EemsGas had already received a commitment for a € 30 million DEI+ investment subsidy. The DEI+ subsidy supports the construction of a green gas facility at the chemical park in Delfzijl, while the SDE++ subsidy is aimed at supporting the production phase.

Green gas accounted for 0.16 TWh of total entry volumes in the Gasunie Transport Services (GTS) network and 0.05 TWh in the Gasunie Deutschland network during the first half of 2026. In The Netherlands, on 22 June, 220,000 cubic metres of green gas were injected into the Gasunie Transport Services (GTS) network, setting a new record for the highest daily volume of green gas ever injected into the network.

As of 30 June 2026, the TRCF was 2.0 (31 December 2025: 2.2), indicating a continued improvement compared to year-end 2025.

The target for 2026 is a TRCF of no more than 2.2. Current performance is below this target, which is a positive result. Notwithstanding this progress, we continue to focus on further reducing incident rates and remain committed to our ambition of zero incidents.

Katie Slipper joined the Executive Board of Gasunie as CFO on 15 January 2026.