The television program Radar suggested in its broadcast on October 16th that Dutch gas is sold at unrealistically high prices. Energie-Nederland has informed the editors that an incomplete picture is being painted. For example, current prices on the wholesale market (day-ahead market) are compared with gas prices in contracts for consumers. But part of the gas, for example, is purchased on the futures markets and not on the day-ahead market. And in these futures marketswe do not recognize a steady decline since March.
In addition, Radar’s approach of only looking at the prescribed standard model contracts is not complete.
Energy suppliers operate in an open market and compete with each other in the customer’s favor. If a supplier charges too high prices, customers will automatically go to the competitor. That applies to every company. The regulator, the Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM), monitors the rates offered by energy suppliers. The ACM recently conducted research into the margins of the larger energy suppliers and concluded that they are reasonable.
Energie-Nederland therefore does not recognize itself in the picture painted by Radar.