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Half of Belgium’s gas consumers are converting to another sort of gas!

Discover right now if you are one of them...

Rich gas is replacing lean gas

In Belgium, over 3 million households and companies use natural gas through the distribution network mainly to heat their home, for supplying hot water and for cooking. We’re not talking about gas in bottles (propane or butane), nor about gas used in motor vehicles (LPG, CNG).
 
Up until 2017, half of these users consume lean gas, imported from the northern Netherlands (Groningen - Slochteren). However, these gas reserves are running out. The Dutch authorities have therefore announced that they intend to gradually reduce their gas exports and to halt them completely from 2030. 

Lean gas will have to be replaced by rich gas, which will be imported from other countries such as Norway, the United Kingdom, Qatar and Russia. This means that Belgian households and companies currently consuming lean gas will instead receive rich gas. Today, one in two Belgian gas consumers are already using rich gas.

Lean gas and rich gas have different compositions. This is why the infrastructure used for the gas transport from the Netherlands to our country must be adapted.

The regions switching over

The map on the right shows the areas that were supplied with lean gas at the time of the launch of the conversion campaign (Oct. 2017), as well as the advancement of the conversion.

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What about your appliances?

All gas consumers who will be converted from lean gas to rich gas will need to have their gas appliances inspected and, if necessary, adapted or replaced if they are too obsolete and incompatible with rich gas. This way, consumers can be sure that their appliances will continue to run properly and safely.

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When?

The 1.6 million private customers and businesses in Brussels and in the provinces of Antwerp, Limburg, Flemish Brabant, Walloon Brabant, Liège, Hainaut, and Namur who use lean gas from the Netherlands must all switch to rich gas. As the number of consumers is high, this cannot be done in one go. The conversion operations will start in 2018 and will continue until 2024. Every year, a number of consumers will therefore be converted over the summer. There is an indicative timetable for this and it will be adapted every year if necessary. The timetable can be consulted on your distribution network operator’s website.

Do you have any questions?

See the ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ (FAQ)
or contact the Contact Center of FPS Economy
on 0800 120 33 (free-of-charge number in Belgium) or by e-mail: info.eco@economie.fgov.be.

Frequently asked questions (FAQ)