Dutch govt has no plan to boost Groningen gas output after setback

In a letter to parliament, the country's deputy economic affairs minister said expected production for the year ending in October 2022 was unchanged at 4.5 billion cubic metres of gas. The Zuidbroek facility, which is being built to add nitrogen to gas from Russia and Norway so it is usable for customers of the Groningen field, has been delayed, the letter said.

The Dutch government on Thursday said it does not currently have plans to boost gas production at the Groningen gas field though a project to help replace it has been delayed, and said that other alternatives would be investigated first.

The government has been gradually winding down production at the Groningen field, one of Europe's largest, for years because operations there trigger earthquakes. In a letter to parliament, the country's deputy economic affairs minister said expected production for the year ending in October 2022 was unchanged at 4.5 billion cubic metres of gas.

The Zuidbroek facility, which is being built to add nitrogen to gas from Russia and Norway so it is usable for customers of the Groningen field, has been delayed, the letter said. "This is difficult to accept, after earlier delays," Minister Hans Viljbrief said in the letter.

He noted the country's gas transmission operator, Gasunie Transport Services (GTS) had informed him it believed production at Groningen should be increased by 1.2 bcm this year. However, Vijlbrief said he would first investigate other alternatives. Even if production is increased slightly this year from the current plan, he said, it would still be close to zero for the year through October 2023.

"It is our expectation that the Groningen field will be running on a pilot flame for the following gas year," he said.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)