Green gas blending obligation: what does this mean for your organization?

The government is working to introduce the green gas blending obligation. Although this regulation is not final at this time, the target effective date is January 1, 2027. This may affect your energy costs and how green gas is included in your gas supply in the future. In this article, we explain what the blending obligation entails, the current state of play and what it may mean for your organization.

What is the blending obligation?

The blending obligation is a proposed statutory regulation requiring energy suppliers to supply an increasing proportion of green gas to their customers. The intended effective date of this regulation is Jan. 1, 2027, although the legislation is not final at this time. The purpose of this scheme is to reduce the use of fossil natural gas step by step and make the energy market more sustainable. With this measure, the government wants to stimulate both the production and use of green gas so that the Netherlands becomes less dependent on natural gas and CO₂ emissions are reduced.

In practice, this means that energy suppliers must demonstrate annually that a certain percentage of the gas they supply consists of green gas. The Netherlands Emissions Authority (NEa) determines how much reduction suppliers must submit. This chain reduction will gradually increase through 2031 and then, according to current plans, remain at the same level through 2035. Any additional costs associated with the deployment of green gas will be included in customer tariffs. At this time it is not yet clear what the exact financial impact of this will be.

The blending obligation is in line with the ambitions of the Climate Agreement, in which it has been agreed to produce approximately 2 billion cubic meters of green gas by 2030. Current production is still considerably lower, so additional measures are needed to achieve this growth. The blending obligation is one of the means to help scale up production and achieve the climate goals.

What is green gas?

To become less dependent on fossil fuels, people are increasingly looking at sustainable alternatives. Green gas is one of them.

Green gas is produced from organic residual and waste streams, such as manure, sewage sludge or kitchen and garden waste. In a first step, this biomass is converted into biogas through fermentation. This biogas is not yet immediately suitable for use. During this process, substances such as CO₂ and sulfur are removed and the methane content is increased.

After this processing, green gas has the same quality and properties as natural gas. As a result, it can be added to the existing gas grid and used in existing installations without any modifications.

By blending green gas, the overall CO₂ impact of gas consumption is reduced without the need for modifications to plants or infrastructure.

What is the current state of affairs?

The blending obligation is currently still in the legislative phase. On March 18, 2026, the Council of State issued an opinion on the bill. This advice is an important step before the proposal can be further considered by the House of Representatives and the Senate. The Council of State is positive about the purpose of the regulation, but also indicates that clarification is still needed, for example around supervision and implementation.

For now, the intended effective date remains January 1, 2027, but this depends on further discussion of the bill and possible adjustments.

Important: the regulation is therefore not yet final and can still be adjusted or postponed.

What will the blending obligation look like?

Based on the current bill, a system of chain reduction is used. Energy suppliers must annually meet a set reduction obligation, the amount of which is determined by the Dutch Emissions Authority (NEa). To demonstrate compliance with this obligation, so-called green gas units (GGEs) are used. These certificates represent a certain amount of CO₂ reduction from green gas.

Under the current plans, the required chain reduction will gradually increase through 2031 and then remain at the same level through 2035.

The aim is to create a stable demand for green gas through this scheme, making investments in production more attractive.

What can you expect?

More will become clear in the coming period about the final details of the blending obligation and its impact on the energy market.
We are closely following the developments surrounding the blending obligation. As soon as it becomes clear what the regulation means for you in concrete terms, we will inform you.