Six gas extraction locations in Groningen will close from tomorrow. For the time being, five locations will remain open at so-called pilot flame level, which means that a minimum amount of gas will be extracted. All gas wells in the Groningen field must be closed by 2024. State Secretary Hans Vijlbrief (Mining, D66) announced this on Friday.
The government is gradually phasing out gas extraction in Groningen because of the earthquake damage it caused to houses in the area. “Families have been torn apart, people have died from stress and children have grown up without the carefree childhood they deserve,” said Vijlbrief. “A lot still needs to be done. This is the next step to definitively close the Groningen field.”
Should the six locations have to open due to an emergency, they can be operational within a month. The other five production locations will extract 2.8 billion cubic meters of gas from the ground this gas year, which runs from October 2022 to October this year.
Natural gas for Dutch households is currently largely obtained from abroad. In addition, a factory has been built in Zuidbroek that prepares foreign natural gas for use in Dutch homes by adding nitrogen. An extra gas supply, which the government has built up in view of the energy crisis, is still far from exhausted, partly due to the mild winter and energy savings by companies and households.