The Institute for Mining Damage Groningen (IMG) paid out five million euros less compensation to victims of gas extraction in 2025 than the year before. This is partly because fewer people reported earthquake damage than expected. The claims desk will therefore approach residents who are almost certainly entitled to compensation.
“That is not yet allowed due to privacy legislation,” says Ronald Koch, director of IMG. “But there are silent victims who have not reported damage for various reasons. While it is very likely that they have suffered damage.”
The so-called Groningen Act is still in preparation. This law should make it possible for IMG to approach those victims. “We expect it to come into effect on July 1. Or else no later than January 1 next year.”
The IMG wanted to pay out more than one billion euros in compensation last year, but the counter remained at almost 640 million euros. This is evident from the annual report for 2025. That is 5.4 million euros less than the year before. The lion’s share of the amount paid out goes to people in the province of Groningen, where there is the most earthquake damage. In Drenthe, at least 73 million euros were paid out in 2025.
These figures do not include damage reports after the earthquake in Eleveld on March 14. That earthquake happened after these annual figures were announced. Formally, residents would also have to report to the Mining Damage Commission, which is responsible for dealing with damage following earthquakes from so-called small gas fields.
The IMG handles damage settlement from earthquakes in the large Groningen gas field and around the gas storage facilities at Norg and Grijpskerk. But because, according to Koch, it is impossible to check which earthquake caused damage, the IMG will also partly compensate for damage caused by the recent Eleveld earthquake.
Reaching all the people who do not report damage to their home will be quite a challenge. In the entire earthquake area in Groningen and North Drenthe, this would involve approximately 180,000 addresses out of a total of 360,000 addresses. IMG employees are now figuring out how best to approach these people.
Some of them are people with low literacy, people who are not digitally skilled and people who have lost confidence in the government. And then sometimes a letter from IMG on the mat doesn’t do anything. “That is why we also focus on kitchen table conversations and try to reach residents through other residents,” says Koch.
