The Dutch government has authorized Taqa Energy BV to add much needed underground natural gas storage capacity at its Bergermeer facility in Northwest Europe that the company expects to make available by October.

Taqa said Friday that it had been given the green light to expand its facility, Europe’s largest open access natural gas storage, by 2.5 TWh, bringing working gas capacity up from 45.6 TWh, or about 4.1 billion cubic meters, to 48.1 TWh.

The company had applied in 2018 for permission to use the facility at its full design capacity. Taqa said it would hold an auction for the new Bergermeer capacity on Oct. 13, which it plans to offer for the balance of the storage year from Oct. 16 to March 31, 2021. Bergermeer’s current 2020 storage capacity sold out in...