The Nederlandse Aardgas Maatschappij (NAM) says it realizes that “we as a company have played an important role” in causing the crisis caused by gas extraction in Groningen.
“We had already come to that insight, but this report has once again placed it penetratingly on our retina.” The NAM, which has its head office in Assen, thus responds to the critical report of the parliamentary committee of inquiry into gas extraction in Groningen that was published this afternoon.
“It is clear that we need to pay more attention to the society in which we work,” says NAM director Johan Atema. As the property of oil and gas groups Shell and ExxonMobil, his organization operates the Groningen field. “It is up to us to show that we as a company have learned from this.”
The report of the committee of inquiry states, among other things, that the cabinet and NAM have a debt of honor to Groningen residents. For decades it has benefited from gas extraction, but the people of Groningen are faced with the burden and costs. The committee made a financial appeal to NAM and the State for the handling of damage and the reinforcement operation in Groningen.
According to the committee, NAM should also drop its claim on the gas that is still in Groningen soil. An arbitration case is currently pending.
The NAM is not responding specifically to the recommendations at this time. “We hope that the work of the committee will lead to measures that will improve the situation for the people of Groningen quickly. Where possible, we will certainly want to contribute to this.”