Amsterdam — The Dutch government on Friday confirmed plans to halt production next month at Europe’s largest gas field, Groningen, a decade after tremors blamed on drilling damaged buildings.
Production will halt as of Oct. 1, the government said, confirming a June draft decision.
“After 60 years, gas extraction from the Groningen field will come to an end,” the Economic Affairs Ministry said in a statement.
“All extraction locations will be demolished from October 2024 so that restarting is no longer possible.”
Gas production at Groningen has been wound down over the past decade due to the danger posed by earthquakes it triggers.
Production in the 2022-2023 year that ends Oct. 1 had been capped at less than 3 billion cubic meters.
For the coming winter, it would still be possible to restart the field to produce a small amount of gas in a situation of an extreme cold snap, defined as several days in which the high does not reach above 6 degrees below zero, the ministry said.
That is also in line with June’s draft plan. (Reporting by Toby Sterling; editing by Christina Fincher and Sharon Singleton)- Reuters
