The cabinet is taking legal action against the Nederlandse Aardolie Maatschappij (NAM) for the 190 million euros that the company still has to pay, according to the State. This concerns money for strengthening and repairing earthquake damage in Groningen as a result of gas extraction. The State advances this and charges part of it to NAM.
Since 2020, 560 million euros has been charged for damage and reinforcement to the NAM, which is owned by the oil companies Shell and ExxonMobil. More than a third of that has not yet been paid. The NAM has been summoned several times to pay these outstanding bills.
“It is unacceptable that NAM tries to avoid responsibility for the situation in Groningen in this way,” writes State Secretary Hans Vijlbrief (Mining) to the House of Representatives. The company can not be reached for comment at this time.
NAM itself had already started arbitration proceedings. It is therefore a counterclaim, reports the Ministry of Economic Affairs. The government and the company have been bickering about the bill for some time. NAM questions the costs incurred and believes they are overestimated.
The accountant of the NAM has already reprimanded the company because it is difficult to determine where the millions are going. The NAM therefore wants more transparency about expenditure.
