News item | 08-10-2022 | 14:15
An earthquake struck Groningen at 04:17 last night. The epicenter of the quake was near Wirdum in the municipality of Eemsdelta.
The earthquake had a magnitude of 3.1 on the Richter scale, KNMI confirms. It is the strongest quake in Groningen since November 2021. Then an earthquake with a magnitude of 3.2 on the Richter scale occurred in Garrelsweer. Tonight’s earthquake is the fifth most severe earthquake ever measured in Groningen, according to the KNMI and was felt in the wider area.
State Secretary for Mining Hans Vijlbrief: “The earthquake at Wirdum is another major blow to Groningen. I wish all Groningen residents a lot of strength. Gas extraction in Groningen is unsafe and, in addition to damage, also causes fear and uncertainty. That is why I am doing everything I can to close the Groningen field as soon as possible.”
State Secretary Vijlbrief will visit Wirdum on Monday.
Report damage
For residents in Groningen, they can report any damage to the Groningen Mining Damage Institute. To report damage, people can contact us as follows:
For acutely unsafe situations, you can call 0800 4444 111 or fill in a special online form: https://www.schadedoormijnbouw.nl/acuut-onveilige-gedrag.
Earthquakes and gas extraction
To remove the cause of the earthquakes, gas extraction in Groningen will be completely phased out. As of 1 October this year, the gas field went on the pilot light. This means that a minimum amount of gas will be extracted: 2.8 billion cubic meters of gas for the coming gas year (October 2022 to October 2023). If the geopolitical situation permits, the government wants to stop gas extraction from the Groningen field in the autumn of 2023, at the latest by 2024.
Unfortunately, as we also saw last night, the risk of earthquakes in Groningen will remain for some time. Even after closing the field. On the website of the State Supervision of Mines (SodM) you can read why the earthquakes still continue in Groningen.
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