The Netherlands will put an end to gas extraction in the province of Groningen, in the north of the country, on October 1, where the largest gas field in Europe is located, a region that has been periodically shaken by earthquakes caused by this extraction, he said. this Friday a minister.
However, due to the “uncertain international situation” and in the event of an extremely cold winter, the last eleven gas extraction units of the Groningen field must remain operational for one more year, before a final shutdown in October 2024.
Earthquakes are expected to last for several years.
“The problems of the inhabitants of Groningen have not yet been solved and unfortunately the earthquakes are expected to last for several years, but the source of their misfortune will be closed from October,” Hans Vijlbrief added in a press release.
Although gas extraction in the region has all but disappeared in recent years, the Dutch government has kept the site operational due to global energy uncertainties caused in large part by Russia’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Last February, a report from a parliamentary commission incriminated the Dutch government for having failed in its management of the gas extraction file in the Groningen region.
Source: BFM TV
