According to the Provincial Executive, Groningen should reduce its annual gas extraction to 1.7 billion cubic meters between the years 2022-2023, before permanently closing operations sometime in 2023. These demands were written in a letter to State Secretary for Economic Affairs and Climate, Hans Vijlbrief.
The State Secretary is directly responsible for the amount of gas that is extracted annually from the northern fields notes the official website of the province of Groningen in an announcement. The State Secretary’s current plan is to remain flexible with gas extraction by maintaining minimum production quotas across all locations in Groningen. This equals to 2.8 billion cubic meters of gas per annum.
In addition to the scale-back of Groningen’s gas extraction, the Provincial Commission also feels that the Groningen Mining Damage Institute and the Groningen National Coordinator must be provided with more legal representation, as well as funding, to adequately compensate the populace for damages caused by the gas extraction operations.
According to the announcement, the damage caused by the gas extraction to the residents of Groningen should prompt the State Secretary to cease all operations as soon as possible.
The Provincial Council, which determines policy on major issues and works in conjunction with the Provincial Executive to ensure that its decisions are executed, will decide as to whether they support the letter by the 27th of July. Additionally, other Groningen authorities are set to make a decision on the letter by the
Finally, the province of Groningen’s official announcement notes that the safety of its inhabitants is its primary goal. How the State Secretary and Provincial Council will react to the letter, remains to be seen.
