Hen til kommoden: DONG og dansk energipolitik efter 1972

The article is about some of the main problems connected with the introduction of natural gas in Denmark. As the Danish population turned down nuclear power in the 1970s, natural gas became an important part of the government's efforts to establish a differentiated energy supply. This innovative energy policy was part of the nationalisation of the energy system. DONG Inc. was a central agent in this process. The article deals with the question why in 1972 DONG was organized as a fully state-owned company and describes the major political and economic obstacles to establishing a viable natural gas business. As a member of the EEC in the late 1980s Denmark met with the obligation to liberalize the energy system. In the light of this task the article discusses the political demand for privatisation of DONG and - more importantly - the relation between price, security of supply and public service obligations in the process of liberalization.