16:35 Oil companies assured that gas extraction can continue after major earthquake

Shell, ExxonMobil and the joint venture NAM influenced the cabinet decision in 2013 to reduce gas extraction in Groningen. this writes NRC based on the minutes of the Maatschap Groningen meetings, which the newspaper was able to view. A year after a major earthquake, a record amount of gas has been extracted from Groningen.

After a severe earthquake in Huizinge in Groningen in 2012, the public debate about gas extraction broke out in Groningen. Gas explosion caused the earthquake. The State Mine Inspectorate (SodM) warned in a later report that this could lead to even more earthquakes in the coming years.

The regulator advised the cabinet and the affected companies to reduce production as quickly and as much as possible, but then Minister Henk Kamp (Economic Affairs) ignored the advice of oil companies under pressure from Shell, ExxonMobil and NAM.

Energy companies tried to downplay the findings

This is apparent from the minutes of the gas companies and Maatschap Groningen, an organization where the ministry determines the gas extraction strategy in Groningen. According to which records? NRC As I could see, the energy companies were trying to downplay the regulator’s findings and steer the minister in a direction that would benefit them.

This ultimately led to the minister’s decision not to convert the advice into legislation, after which a record 53.8 billion cubic meters of natural gas was extracted in 2013.

cold winter

Shell points in a response NRC to the government that “always sits around the table”. “The partnership felt that it was up to the minister to make the decision and ultimately decided not to change the 45 billion cubic meters of Groningen field planned in 2013. The House of Representatives agreed. Government – ​​53 billion, on the left because it is cold in winter. The minister explains this to the House of Representatives: “He explains the company.

The same reaction can be heard from NAM. ExxonMobil did not respond. The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate (EZK) says it is pleased that “the gas extraction investigation committee is there to clarify what happened in the past”.