The Groningen gas fields in the Netherlands will be permanently closed on October 1, 2024, according to confirmation from mines minister Hans Vijlbrief. In the meantime, the fields will remain

operational for an additional year in the event of an extremely cold winter, after which the infrastructure will be dismantled. This decision brings an end to 60 years of gas extraction from the province, which has contributed billions of euros to the country's treasury.

Vijlbrief acknowledged that the issues caused by earthquakes resulting from land settling are still ongoing. He stated, "The people of Groningen's problems have not been solved and the quakes will unfortunately continue for some time. But at least the source of all the trouble is being closed down in October."

The decision to close the gas fields was made in March 2018 due to the damaging earthquakes that have affected tens of thousands of homes in the region. Earlier this year, a parliamentary commission criticized the government and oil companies for systematically ignoring the interests of the people of Groningen, with profit being the primary concern during the period of natural gas extraction, which led to seismic activities.

Since 1986, the province has experienced over 1,600 earthquakes, with magnitudes reaching up to 3.6 on the Richter scale. Approximately 85,000 buildings have been damaged at least once, and only 30% of homes have been made safe again.

Since the start of gas extraction in 1963, the Dutch state has earned over €360 billion from the exploitation of the Groningen gas field. When adjusted for inflation, the total revenues from the gas region amount to €428 billion, with €360 billion going to the government and €66 billion shared between Shell and ExxonMobil, the joint owners of NAM, the company responsible for distributing Dutch gas. Photo by Overheid.nl, Wikimedia commons.