Gas must be imported from Russia with Groningen limits: Minister

The Netherlands will have to import more gas from abroad, including from Russia, in the coming years to compensate for any further reduction in gas extraction in Groningen, Minister Henk Kamp (Economic Affairs) said in an interview with the AD.

Kamp expects that Russian gas may be necessary. "There are two options: gas can be supplied via pipelines from Russia or in liquid form from other countries. The Netherlands still has a large gas reserve. We are not like Germany dependent on 30 percent Russian gas. But it could eventually be an option."

Yesterday Kamp apologized in Groningen for the lack of attention paid to safety during the gas extraction in recent years. He will do the same in a debate in the Tweede Kamer (lower house of parliament) today. Kamp will also have to make a decision about the amount of gas that will be extracted in the coming years. Kamp would not comment on the consequences this will have for the treasury.