Oil and gas prices have surged following the US and Israeli attack on Iran and Dutch gas storage levels are currently at a historic low, national gas company Gasunie has said.

Experts say refilling the reserves should not pose a supply problem, given that winter is nearing an end, but warn consumers could end up footing the bill for the higher prices.

The Netherlands’ gas storage facilities are currently 10.5% full, which Gasunie described as a “historic” low. At the start of January, reserves stood at 45%, but levels have fallen since the cold snap in January.

Energy expert Lucia van Geuns from the Hague Centre for Strategic Studies told RTL Nieuws that the low levels do not mean the Netherlands will run out of gas, which it continues to import from Norway and the United States.

Climate minister Stientje van Veldhoven has also said there is “no reason for concern about physical shortages”. “There is sufficient supply through domestic production, pipelines and liquefied gas,” she said earlier this week.

The Netherlands has closed the main Groningen gas fields because of the earthquakes but continues to extract gas from several minor fields on land and at sea.

European gas prices jumped on Monday after fewer ships passed through the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for oil and gas exports from the Middle East. Qatar has also announced it will temporarily halt LNG production.

Higher gas prices will feed through to household energy bills, particularly for consumers on variable contracts. More expensive energy also raises production costs for businesses, which can lead to higher prices for consumers, as happened during the energy crisis following the outbreak of war in Ukraine.

The Dutch rate of inflation was 2.4% in February, according to an initial forecast by national statistics agency CBS.

Should the conflict lead to major disruption in the global energy markets, the Dutch rate of inflation could rise to 4% in a worst-case scenario, ING economist Bert Colijn told the Financieele Dagblad. “But I don’t think we will return to the situation of 2022.”