Quake In Groningen Renews Debate Over Reopening Dutch Gas Fields

by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Europe Bureau Chief

GRONINGEN, NETHERLANDS (Worthy News) – Questions have been raised about the future of one of Europe’s largest on-shore natural-gas reserves after parts of the Dutch province of Groningen were struck by one of the strongest earthquakes ever recorded there.

The quake measured 3.4 on the Richter scale and struck at 1:16 a.m. Friday, with its epicentre near the village of Zeerijp, authorities said. It was followed by an aftershock of magnitude 2.0, further shaking an already anxious local population.

Local broadcaster RTV Noord said hundreds of alerts were logged via its quake-monitoring service, and the tremor was felt “from the German border to the Drenthe border.”

“It was a fairly heavy earthquake, and that always triggers a huge shock reaction,” said Bert Visser, mayor of the municipality of Eemsdelta in Groningen.

One resident of the Groningen town of Loppersum said she first heard a rumbling before the shaking began.
In Zeerijp, Jasper Jacobs said he was jolted awake by “an incredibly loud bang,” while another resident, Max Siccama, reported briefly losing control of his car when two strong jolts hit as he was driving.

MAJOR GAS FIELD UNDER PRESSURE

The Netherlands closed the Groningen gas fields in 2023 due to safety concerns after decades of extraction caused repeated quakes that damaged thousands of homes. A similar 3.4-magnitude quake struck in 2019, though it was slightly less forceful than Friday’s tremor.

The Groningen reserve — once among the largest on-shore gas fields in Europe — still holds an estimated 450 billion cubic metres (bcm) of untapped gas as of 2023.

Industry commentary has placed the remaining recoverable value at around 900–950 billion euros (approximately US$1 trillion) if fully exploited.

Since production began in 1963, the Dutch state has earned roughly 360 billion euros (US$390–395 billion) from the field, while energy giants Shell and ExxonMobil, operating via the NAM joint venture, collected about 66 billion euros (US$71–75 billion).

However, more than 1,600 earthquakes have hit the region since the 1980s, damaging at least 85,000 buildings and creating continuing compensation and structural-safety crises.

CALLS TO REOPEN AMID ENERGY CRISIS

The quake has reignited debate over whether the field should be reopened amid Europe’s energy shortages triggered by the war in Ukraine and the dramatic reduction of Russian gas imports.

Some political parties and business groups argue that limited, emergency-level extraction should resume to strengthen energy security. Others — including many local leaders, environmental groups, and the parliamentary commission that investigated the crisis — strongly oppose reopening, citing seismic danger and the government’s moral responsibility toward residents.

A parliamentary inquiry in 2023 concluded that the interests of the people of Groningen had been “systematically ignored” by government and industry and that profit was repeatedly prioritised over safety.

Local officials said at least a dozen homes may now be declared uninhabitable, pending structural assessments as a result of the latest tremor. Thousands of residents and businesses are still waiting for compensation for property damage and mental-health impacts caused by years of tremors and uncertainty.

Residents in Groningen suggest that the latest quake is further proof that reopening the field — even partially — would put communities at renewed risk.

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