Groningen shocked as senators delay vote to close gas field after decades of earthquakes

Groningen residents and politicians are shocked and disappointed by the Eerste Kamer’s decision to postpone a vote on the permanent closure of the gas fields in the province. The BBB, VVD, PVV, JA21, and 50Plus Senators first want more information about the security of gas supply before they vote on permanently stopping gas extraction in Groningen, which has been plagued with gas mining earthquakes for decades.

The law that regulates the permanent closure of the Groningen gas fields was supposed to be debated in the Eerste Kamer, the Dutch Senate, next week. The above-mentioned Senators have now postponed its handling.

“This was not a good day for the confidence of Groningen residents in national politics,” René Paas, the King’s Commissioner in Groningen, told NOS about the Eerste Kamer’s surprise move. “And that includes myself.” The Senators know the promises that have been made to Groningen, Paas said.

In the past, security of supply has been used as a reason to keep mining gas despite the earthquakes, the King’s Commissioner pointed out. It is a sensitive term for Groningen locals. “People are shocked, bewildered, furious, or worse, cynical,” he told the broadcaster.

Paas heard from several sources that the postponement doesn’t mean the bill will be scrapped. There is only one way to prove that, he said. “And that is to ensure this law is published in the Official Gazette as quickly as possible.”

Groningen deputy Susan Top told RTV Noord that she “almost lost her courage” when she heard the news of the postponement. “At first, I thought they were a day late with their April Fool’s joke,” she said. She assumes that the Eerste Kamer will ultimately agree to close the Groningen gas fields. “But the question is why they have to cause this unrest now.”

Outgoing State Secretary Hans Vijlbrief of Mining was also shocked and disappointed by the Eerste Kamer’s move. He said he would answer the Senators’ questions about the security of supply “as quickly as possible,” hoping that the Eerste Kamer can handle and vote on the bill before the end of the month.

Last month, the Tweede Kamer, the lower house of the Dutch parliament, passed the bill almost unanimously. Of the 150 parliamentarians, 146 voted for stopping gas extraction in Groningen. Ending the earthquakes was also a topic in many election campaigns for the parliamentary elections in November 2023.