Netherlands becomes a net gas importer

The Netherlands became a net importer of natural gas last year for the first time since the commissioning in 1963 of giant Groningen gas field, production of which is being phased out by the government.

GasTerra, which markets Groningen gas for NAM, the ExxonMobil-Shell joint venture which operates the field, reported the shift in Dutch gas trade in a financial report.

GasTerra said NAM produced 20.1 billion cubic metres of gas from Groningen in 2018, 1.5 billion cubic metres below a ceiling set by the government, which began limiting output several years ago because of earthquakes.

Last year the government called for the termination of Groningen output.

“Safety perception as well as actual safety can only be guaranteed for the near future in Groningen by fully eliminating the source of the earthquake risk,” it said in an announcement in March 2018.

It set an output cap of 12 billion cubic metres in 2022, to be followed by a phaseout of Groningen production.

Source: Oil & Gas Journal