Overview
- A majority in the Tweede Kamer rejected JA21’s bid to keep Groningen available as an emergency reserve, with D66, VVD, CDA and GroenLinks‑PvdA insisting the 2024 closure be honored.
- Climate and energy minister Stientje van Veldhoven reiterated the government’s promise to residents and said gas security must be ensured without turning back to the field.
- NAM said it will not operate a non‑commercial strategic reserve and is continuing a years‑long decommissioning that includes filling wells with concrete.
- Staatstoezicht op de Mijnen warned that reopening or preserving wells for extraction would raise earthquake risks and deepen stress for affected residents, a view echoed by local groups.
- Gasunie indicated the field need not be kept open if existing storages and potential use of ‘cushion gas’ can serve as an emergency buffer, as the House moved this week to seek an emergency production plan.