ACM sets 2026 tariffs for the transmission of natural gas
The Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) has taken a decision about the earlier proposal of Dutch transmission system operator for natural gas Gasunie Transport Services B.V. (GTS) regarding the tariffs for its network users for the transmission of natural gas. Households and other small-scale users pay indirectly towards the transmission of natural gas through their natural-gas bills. Next year, these costs for households will go up approximately 20 euros per year.
One of the main reasons for the increasing tariffs is the fact that businesses and households consume less and less natural gas. GTS expects that, in 2026, approximately 12 percent less capacity will be booked for the transmission of natural gas. As a result, the total costs will be spread over a smaller volume of transmitted natural gas, and tariffs will go up.
Another reason for the increasing tariffs is that, in 2024, GTS made an investment in the nitrogen plant in the northen Dutch town of Zuidbroek. This nitrogen plant makes natural gas suitable for the pipelines of Dutch households. The previous Dutch cabinet (Rutte IV) had asked GTS to build this nitrogen plant in order to close the Groningen field as soon as possible.
In 2026, GTS’s tariffs will go up, on average, 50 percent. This tariff increase follows a tariff increase of 52 percent in 2025 and a tariff decrease of 20 percent in 2024. These tariff fluctuations are largely caused by the loss of the supply of Russian natural gas in 2022. As a result of this loss, much more natural gas had to be imported from LNG-terminals in Belgium and the United Kingdom. This resulted in approximately 650 million euros in additional revenues for GTS, which it largely gave back to the market through a reduction of the tariffs in 2024. The remainder was given back to the market in 2025. Now that all of these additional revenues have been given back to the market, this mitigating effect will cease to exist, and the tariffs will keep on increasing in 2026.
GTS uses different tariffs for the different users of the transmission network for natural gas. For example, lower tariffs apply to natural-gas storage facilities as well as to the points where liquified natural gas (LNG) is fed into the network. Full natural-gas storage facilities and delivery of LNG are important to the security of supply.
Each year, ACM sets GTS’s tariffs. GTS is fully owned by the Dutch State, and has a monopoly on the transmission of natural gas. By annually setting the tariffs that GTS can charge its network users, ACM ensures that these tariffs are not too high. At the same time, ACM allows GTS to earn a reasonable return on investments that are needed for the security of supply and the energy transition. Through its regulatory efforts, ACM thus helps realize an affordable, secure, and sustainable supply of energy.