Dutch court reduces output at Groningen field

The Dutch government has announced a court order to halt production around Loppersum in the Groningen province due to earthquake concerns. The village sits in the Groningen field, Europe’s largest gasfield and the tenth largest in the world.

Output at the village was previously limited to 3 bcm (106 bcf) for 2015, which is nearly 9 percent of the total expected yield of the Groningen field for this year. Nederlandse Aardolie Maatschappij, a joint venture between Shell and Exxon Mobil, operates the gas development.

“For the time being, gas may be extracted in and around Loppersum only if extraction from other locations is no longer possible and if necessary for the security of supply,” Reuters reported the court as saying.

In February, the Dutch Safety Board – the Netherlands’ investigation council for safety based it The Hague – said that the government had not sufficiently recognised the danger of small earthquakes.

The Netherlands produces nearly 15 percent of Europe’s total gas output and the field supplies about 5 percent of government revenues.