Billions needed for repairs in Netherlands

The first findings of a rapport commissioned by the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs on the effects of gas exploration-related earthquakes in the resources-rich northern province of Groningen were disclosed on Friday.

According to the study, carried out by a team comprising members of the Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research and the Technical University Delft, between 30,000 and 90,000 buildings will need to be reinforced over the coming years. The researchers also stated that residents would have to vacate their homes for a “certain period of time.” They estimate the work will cost around $6.5 billion.

The team was put to work on orders of Minister of Economic Affairs Henk Kamp in 2012, after a 3.6-magnitude exploration-related earthquake struck the village of Huizinge. Seismologists had previously ruled out the possibility of tremors of such magnitude happening in the Netherlands, home to proven natural gas reserves of about 900 bcm (30.1 tcf).