Safe and eco-efficient energy

Natural gas offers a series of distinct advantages with respect to fuel oil and is widely used for steam production, drying, heating of industrial ovens and baths, heating of commercial premises, etc.  Natural gas makes it possible to comply with European emission standards without the need for a fume treatment system, thereby reducing the initial investment. In general, natural gas is held to be both efficient and safe.
 
Gas transport    

The company that stores and transports natural gas within Belgium is called Fluxys. It offers a full suite of services for the redelivery  of natural gas from the main grid to the end users. Secondly, it offers natural gas transmission services without gas distribution or supply. The company oversees the transmission of gas along a route from a transit entry point to a transit exit point. Finally, can ensure the filling of gas storage vessels storage and then releasing it, when needed, into the national grid. These services are offered from the Loenhout underground storage facility and the Zeebrugge Peak Shaving facility.  

Liberalization

Total liberalization of the gas market is partially complete already in Belgium: in Flanders the gas market has been liberalized since July 1st 2003. The contractual link between sales of gas and transport and distribution has been severed so that several competing providers are now available on the market. The inter-urban corporation is responsible for  managing the distribution network.  Clients are now free to conclude a supply contract with any one of these gas suppliers, and another contract with the distribution network manager for the connection to the national grid. Examples of suppliers of gas to end users are: EBEM,  Electrabel, Essent, DONG Energy, Luminus, Nuon Belgium and SPE.

Quality Control

The government ensures the QC of the energy supply and the proper functioning of the distribution network.  At the federal level, QC is managed by the Commission for the Regulation of Electricity and Gas (CREG) and, in Flanders, by the Flemish Regulatory Body for the Electricity and Gas markets (VREG). The federal body, the CREG, keeps an eye on the gas price in Belgium.
 
Availability

The gas distribution network is widely developed and able to supply most industrial estates. Natural gas arrives directly to the distribution plant, without any loss of volume during transport or heat loss.