Dutch Court Orders Further Production Cuts at Groningen Gas Field
18 Novembre 2015 - 4:45PM
Dow Jones News
By Maarten van Tartwijk
AMSTERDAM--Production at the giant Groningen gas field in the
Netherlands must be lowered further to reduce earthquake risks, a
Dutch court ruled Wednesday.
The Council of State, the highest administrative court in the
Netherlands, said annual production must be temporarily reduced to
27 billion cubic meters, down from a current cap of 33 billion
cubic meters set in June by the Dutch minister of economic affairs,
Henk Kamp.
"The minister should have explained more clearly why the
limitation on gas extraction could not be set at less than 33
billion cubic meters," the court said. "After all, the studies on
which this decision was based concluded that less gas extraction
would mean a lower seismic risk."
The ruling, which cannot be appealed, represents a victory for
residents and local authorities who claim that gas extraction
continues to pose a risk to public safety, despite a series of
production cutbacks in recent years.
The Groningen field, one of the world's largest gas reserves, is
a key source for European countries like France, Belgium and
Germany. It is operated by the Nederlandse Aardolie Maatschappij,
or NAM, a joint-venture of Royal Dutch Shell Plc and Exxon
Mobil.
Several government studies have showed that a rise in
earthquakes was linked to extraction. The tremors have damaged many
homes in the area, prompting a wave of compensation claims against
NAM. In September, a Dutch court ruled that NAM must also
compensate homeowners for a drop in house prices caused by
earthquakes.
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(END) Dow Jones Newswires
November 18, 2015 10:30 ET (15:30 GMT)
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