Groningen Gas Field

2023: Netherlands halts production at EU's biggest gas field due to frequent earthquakes

On October 1, 2023, production was stopped in the Netherlands at the Groningen gas field, which is considered the largest in the European Union. The decision was made in connection with the threat of earthquakes and destruction associated with the operation of the site.

The Groningen gas field was discovered in the northern Netherlands in 1959. The development was expensive enough and for it to pay off, it required powerful government support for the construction of a network of gas pipelines and a change in the rules of trade in the gas market. As of 2023, over 1.5 trillion cubic meters of gas were produced, and residual reserves are estimated at 2.7 trillion cubic meters. Since 1994, the field area has experienced more than 900 earthquakes of magnitude up to 3.6 points. According to the Groningen Institute, at least 127 thousand of 327 thousand houses in the region were damaged as a result of natural disasters associated with gas production. The country's government was forced to adopt a plan to pay compensation to local residents: €22 billion will be allocated for this purpose.

Groningen Gas Field Production Shut Down

Gas production in Groningen will finally stop, "said Hans Vijlbrief, State Secretary for Mining at the Ministry of Economy of the Netherlands.

However, as of October 2023, we are not talking about the final dismantling of wells at the Groningen gas field. Production here can be resumed "in the event of a very cold winter or other unforeseen circumstances." In this regard, the final closure of the field will occur no earlier than October 1, 2024. This decision caused disappointment of local authorities and the Groninger Bodem Beweging association: they warn that a large-scale wave of protests could roll around the country if production resumes.^[1]

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