Gas consumption fluctuates over the year with the largest consumption during the winter. The maximum supply of natural gas from the North Sea fields is limited to approximately 22 to 24 million Nm3/day. The gas consumption on a cold winter day may amount to approximately 30 to 33 million Nm3/day.
Two gas storage facilities
In order to handle the difference between production and consumption, it is necessary to be able to store the surplus gas from the summer production to the larger winter consumption. Therefore, in connection with establishing the Danish natural gas grid, two gas storage facilities were established to manage this load equalisation.
Emergency supply
The storage facilities are also established with the purpose of functioning as supply backup in case of supply failure from one of the Danish North Sea fields or leak in the transmission grid at critical points. The storage facilities are dimensioned and placed such that they can supply the firm gas market with natural gas for a period of approximately 60 days which is the estimated time required to repair the gas pipelines in the North Sea.
The two gas storage facilities are owned and run by Energinet.dk and DONG Energy, respectively. Energinet.dk Gas Storage are located in Lille Torup in Northern Jutland and DONG Storage are located in Stenlille on Seeland, but since Energinet.dk has the responsibility of security of supply and the balance of the Danish gas transmission grid, a storage agreement has been made between DONG and Energinet.dk that gives Energinet.dk the right to use storage capacity to secure the balance and security of supply of the gas transmission grid.
The shippers are also dependent on the storage for load equalisation, ie for supplementing entry deliveries.