Regional authorities raise no objections to amendment to gas decree
The regional authorities of Groningen have no objections to the amended decision for the current gas year 2021-2022. The main reason for this is that the risks associated with the increase are comparable to those associated with the original decision and that the Groningen field can still close at 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 of 4.5 billion m³ compared to the original 3.9 billion m³. SodM also expects a very small difference between the original and amended decisions in terms of damage.
Acceleration amplification
The SodM concludes 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 process be accelerated, partly because the pace is too slow to meet the promised deadline of 2028. The region is already in talks with the State Secretary about accelerating the reinforcement approach. In addition, at the request of the region, the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy is checking whether the homes and buildings identified in TNO's risk analysis are already included in the reinforcement program. The region wants to have a clear picture of the safety of its residents as soon as possible.
Close Groningen field as soon as possible
The region appreciates the efforts of the State Secretary 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 quickly as possible has always been the region's main priority.