AMSTERDAM - The Dutch government expects to spend up to 520.5 million euros ($548.4 million) to sufficiently fill the gas storage at Bergermeer, one of Europe's largest, in the winter of 2023/2024.

Government-owned energy company EBN will be tasked to fill Bergermeer with 1.5 to 2 billion cubic metres (bcm) of natural gas if other market participants fail to do so, and will not release the gas its has stored there this year until at least the first quarter of 2024.

($1 = 0.9492 euros)

(Reporting by Bart Meijer, Editing by Louise Heavens)