Regional authorities raise no objections to amendment to the gas decree
The regional authorities of Groningen have no objections to the amended resolution for the current gas year 2021–2022. The main reason for this is that the risks associated with the increase are comparable to those of the original resolution and that the Groningen field can still be closed by the end of 2023. This is of great importance to the residents of Groningen.
The State Supervision of Mines (SodM) expects that the number of earthquakes will not increase with an extraction volume of 4.5 billion m³ compared to the original 3.9 billion m³. SodM also expects very little difference in terms of damage between the original and the amended decision.
Acceleration amplification
SodM does conclude, however, that the safety of Groningen’s residents is still not sufficiently guaranteed, as there are still addresses that do not meet the standards. SodM therefore urges that the reinforcement efforts be accelerated. This is partly because the current pace is too slow to meet the promised completion date of 2028. The region is already in discussions with the State Secretary regarding accelerating the reinforcement approach. In addition, at the region’s request, the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy is verifying whether the homes and buildings identified in TNO’s risk analysisprogramme alreadyprogramme in theprogramme . The region wants to assess the safety of residents as soon as possible.
Close the Groningen field as soon as possible
The region appreciates the State Secretary’s efforts to significantly reduce the increase announced in January. In addition, the State Secretary has opted for a scenario in which the goal remains to permanently close the Groningen field in 2023, despite the current international crisis. Closing the Groningen field as soon as possible has always been the region’s top priority.