If anything goes wrong next winter, it could be a cold winter for the Dutch. Unless more gas is extracted from the Groningen field. That says gas expert Martien Visser in De Telegraaf.
A lower expected yield of wind energy or a severe winter will cause problems, says Visser, who receives support from energy specialist Jilles van den Beukel and from organizations such as Nibud and utility companies such as Eneco.
If everything goes according to plan, approximately 4.5 billion cubic meters of gas will have been extracted in Groningen by the end of September. According to the specialists, this can easily be increased to ten or fifteen billion cubic meters. The government only needs to instruct NAM for this. Not only can the stove then continue to burn, the cabinet can also close the gap in the budget in one go.
But will the people of Groningen accept this? The probability of earthquakes is increasing. Is that worth it? According to specialists, increasing gas production must therefore be done responsibly and the 25,000 households living above the gas field must benefit significantly from it.
Whether the government will also take this rigorous step remains to be seen. The government has always said that Groningen gas is the last resort.
Should the government instruct NAM to extract more gas from the Groningen soil, so that we don’t get into trouble next winter? Or should the agreement with the Groningers stand, with the risk that we will get cold feet? What do you think?