Govt turns off gasfield over fear of quakes
The hamlet of Doodstil – which translates as ‘‘dead quiet’’ in Dutch – feels like it could have been named as part of an elaborate joke.
Despite its name and appearance, this cluster of homes surrounded by flat, green fields and picturesque dykes actually sits in an unlikely earthquake zone.
Fifty-five years of conventional gas extraction from Europe’s largest field have made the Netherlands’ province of Groningen anything but calm.
Now, warned of the risk of a catastrophic earthquake that could cost lives and homes, the Dutch government is gradually turning off a supply that has generated more than €237 billion (NZ$394b) since 1963.
This northern province of just over half a million people is still fighting to repair quake-related damage with gas company NAM, owned 50:50 by Shell and ExxonMobil.
Locals (Groningers) warn that quakes can sink more than your home.
Janneke Ockels, 57, whose 19th century cottage in Zandeweer is held up by wooden beams, has spent months in court, fighting for repairs to be independently assessed.
‘‘The biggest earthquake was in 2012,’’ she recalls. ‘‘I was sitting in the kitchen with a friend and suddenly everything moved and shook, and my chimney came down. Now, people sit outside my house and talk about it.
‘‘I have owned this for 28 years, and put all my money into it: it’s my dream house, for my son and my grandson. But I have no money to repair it.’’
In January, a quake of 3.4 on the Richter scale was recorded in nearby Zeerijp, and the big fear at the moment is of a quake big enough to put lives seriously at risk.
SodM, the Dutch regulator, was so concerned that it released a report in February calling to reduce gas production to 12 billion cubic metres per year.
The warning worked. The Dutch government has pledged to stop pumping from this Groningen field entirely by 2030, reinforce
1500 homes and investigate another 7000. NAM will pay back the costs to the state, instead of judging claims itself.
Meanwhile, the government is building a €500 million factory to convert imported gas into Grongingen-equivalent fuel to heat homes, and providing
€75 million for nine major manufacturers to change to foreign gas.
‘‘There has never been a case of one house falling down, nor has there been one casualty,’’ a spokesman from the department of economic affairs told
‘‘But this situation is no longer socially acceptable.’’
Eric Wiebes, the economic affairs minister, told Dutch television programme Pauw: ‘‘Gas has always been very important for the Netherlands and also for Groningen. But, at a certain point, it’s a bit like a really good party. You always leave too late.’’
Dr Wouter van de Zee, subsurface manager for SodM, points out that the physical mechanisms that cause earthquakes are different for conventional gas extraction – as in Groningen – and shale gas fracking, but both can destabilise land.
This proved to be the case in the large field of Groningen, where there are thousands of fault lines. Shoring up vulnerable houses is now top priority.