In March 2018 the Dutch government decided to phase out production from the Groningen natural gas field by 2030. This in order to reduce the safety risks caused by earthquakes induced by gas production. This watershed decision marks the end of over 50 years of Groningen natural gas production and prompts the need for answers to questions of increasing gas imports from other sources and the related environmental price.
Co-authored by Lucia van Geuns, Strategic Advisor in the HCSS Energy Transition Program, the paper “The Termination of Groningen Gas Production – Background and Next Steps” discusses the socio-economic significance of Groningen gas for Dutch society. It also puts the endgame for the Groningen gas field in a European and international perspective.
The paper was released by Columbia University’s Center on Global Energy Policy and can be downloaded via this link.
The website of The Hague Centre for Strategic Studies can be found via this link, more information on the news article via this link.