The Dutch government apologized on Monday for discounting the dangers from earth tremors caused by natural gas extraction in the northern province of Groningen just weeks after a report blamed the government and energy companies for ignoring the dangers.
The climb down by the Dutch authorities follows a report by the
independent Safety Board which was released on February 18, and
clearly blamed gas extraction at the Groningen field for earth
tremors in the region.
Although the link between gas extraction in the Groningen field
and earthquakes in the area was proved in 1993, it was not
recognized that they posed a risk to residents until 2013.
The report found that the Dutch Economy Ministry, the State
Supervision of Mines and the Shell-Exxon Mobil (NAM) joint
venture which operates the gas field all worked together to
maximize production and ignored safety.
“The parties concerned considered the safety risk to the
population to be negligible and thus disregarded the
uncertainties surrounding this risk assessment,” and “failed to
act with due care for citizen’s safety in Groningen,” the
report said.
On Monday the Economic Affairs Minister Henk Kamp finally issued
an apology.
Collusion Between Government And Big Oil Everywhere: Earthquake
Dangers Ignored in #Hollandhttp://t.co/D40FPjHfRK…
pic.twitter.com/XZM4l1VZ1v
— Assaad Razzouk (@AssaadRazzouk) February
20, 2015
“I am very sorry that the safety interests of Groningers did
not receive the attention they deserved, safety will now come
first,” he said.
As far back as 2012, after an earthquake registered 3.6 on the
Richter scale, regulators warned the government that gas
production should be cut to ensure citizens safety.
But the government only ordered production to be cut in 2014 and
then only by a bit.
Production was eventually cut by 16.5 cubic meters (bcm) in the
first half of 2015.
However, the issue is threatening to become a political football
ahead of provincial elections on March 18.
Kamp has said that production could be reduced by as much as 35
bcm annually and the Netherlands would still be able to fulfill
its delivery contracts.
Opposition parties, which are expected to take control of the
senate from the ruling coalition, are pushing for an annual cap
in Groningen of 30 bcm.
Meanwhile the NAM consortium, which operates the field, has said
that it is funding building improvements in 8,000 houses and
inspecting a further 15,000.
The Dutch parliament heard a week before the report was released
that the cost of repairs to buildings damaged by earthquakes is
estimated to be 6.5 billion euros with around 35,000 homes
affected.
Seventy-five percent of Dutch gas exports came from the Groningen
field in 2012. Dutch gas accounts for around 12 percent of
Europe’s demand at nearly 57.3 bcm, Reuters reported. The field
is expected to produce gas for another 50 years.