State Secretary Jo-Annes de Bat (CDA) is considering generously compensating residents in Eleveld for earthquake damage following the earthquake on March 14. The State Secretary for Climate and Green Growth announced this in a letter to Drenthe administrators.
Last month, the State Secretary announced that he wanted to go for a damage approach that is “fast, thorough and humane”. He wanted to provide more clarity within four to six weeks.
Now De Bat announces that this will take longer, because it is complicated to get all parties involved on the same side.
The Bat is considering using a special protocol, due to the severity of the earthquake and the number of damage reports. That protocol assumes that all damage within a certain area was caused by the earthquake.
This way, no investigation from claims agencies is necessary. According to De Bat, this ensures faster claims handling and a better balance between compensation and investigation costs.
The counter now stands at more than 3,000 damage reports after the earthquake measuring 3.0 on the Richter scale in Eleveld. The province of Drenthe, the municipalities of Aa and Hunze, Assen and Midden-Drenthe then called on the State Secretary to come up with a claim settlement that is much more generous than has been the case in Drenthe so far.
People with earthquake damage can still report to the Mining Damage Committee.
Although De Bat’s idea seems like good news for victims, it is far from certain that it will actually be implemented. To achieve this, NAM must also agree to the plan to opt for generous claims settlement.
NAM has been extracting natural gas from Eleveld for years and is responsible for the costs of earthquake damage. Unless the State decides to guarantee the damage in Drenthe itself.
De Bat is currently in discussions about this protocol with the NAM and the Mining Damage Committee. The latter party provides independent advice on reporting and compensating for earthquake damage.
According to De Bat, it is “complicated to arrive at a good approach that is supported by all parties, which is why time is needed for further discussions.”
The province, municipalities of Aa and Hunze, Midden-Drenthe and Assen stated in a joint response that they understand that more time is needed to ensure proper claims settlement. “At the same time, we and the damage reporters would like clarity quickly,” say the directors.
“We previously sent our commitment to State Secretary De Bat in a letter dated March 20, 2026. That was, is and remains our commitment,” the statement reads.
