The disaster in Groningen must stop, says Merel Jongkind. According to the report, there is only a prospect of future prospects if the cause of the quakes is removed.
On the night of October 8, the entire province of Groningen was rocked by a 3.1 earthquake near Wirdum. Groningers were awakened far beyond the epicenter, reports were received from the city, Delfzijl, Winsum and Hoogezand, among others. The quake is in the top 10 of heaviest induced quakes.
There is plenty of attention for the Groningen field. Groningen is in the news because of the parliamentary inquiry for natural gas extraction in Groningen and because of the current energy crisis. Slowly but surely, there seems to be more awareness about the ramp-in-slow-motion in Groningen beyond the provincial borders of Groningen.
Nevertheless, the problems are still great. And there is only one solution, and that is to close the gas tap permanently as soon as possible.
More gas quakes than expected
For example, there are many more earthquakes than ‘the models’ predict. In the past gas year (until October 1, last), 13 quakes of magnitude 1.5 or greater occurred. Twice as much as predicted in TNO’s risk analysis! But not only the frequency of the quakes is increasing. The earthquake density, or the number of tremors per square kilometer, is also alarmingly high, as it was a year ago.
The seismic threat thus seems to be greatly underestimated. And the probability of a very strong earthquake of 5 is also possibly considerably higher than predicted in the current research models.
Last May, the Groninger Soil Movement (GBB) raised these concerns with the State Supervision of Mines. Action has been taken: the increasing seismicity is prompting TNO and NAM to conduct new research. A report will also be submitted about the cause and consequences of the earthquake at Wirdum.
One thing we know for sure
But despite all the investigations, we know one thing for sure: earthquakes such as at Wirdum cause a lot of suffering among Groningen residents. Suffered because their night and peace of mind is seriously disturbed. Suffered because Groningen residents once again have to go through energy-guzzling damage procedures. Suffered because Groningers still (!) live in an unsafe house.
And above all: suffering because the situation in Groningen seems hopeless. The settlement of mining damage and the reinforcement operation has been slow for many years because in The Hague every point and every comma has to be discussed.
The disaster in Groningen must stop. Only if the cause is removed can we be sure that there will be future prospects again in the long term. The gas tap has been on the ‘pilot flame’ since 1 October, 2.8 billion cubic meters of gas will be extracted this gas year. All operational production locations remain open. In short, the crane can still be operated. It must therefore be laid down in law that gas extraction will definitively stop on 1 October 2023.
Not an ounce of empathy
Anyone who still says that the Groningen field is a solution for the current energy crisis is not only very poorly informed, but also shows no ounce of empathy for the situation that many Groningen residents have found themselves in for years. The earthquake of Wirdum makes this painfully clear once again.
Merel Jonkheid is spokesperson for the Groninger Soil Movement