Research agency urges keeping Groningen gas field as emergency reserve amid import risks

The Dutch research institute TNO is warning that permanently sealing the Groningen gas field could leave the Netherlands at risk of a sudden gas shortage, NOS reports.

The warning comes as the Netherlands now imports about 80 percent of its natural gas. According to TNO, completely closing the Groningen field would remove a potential emergency safeguard at a time of growing geopolitical uncertainty.

TNO is not advocating a return to commercial gas production. Instead, the institute says the field could function as a strategic reserve, similar to the oil reserves the Netherlands has maintained since the energy crises of the 1970s. “That is a reserve you have available but do not use in principle,” René Peters, TNO’s director of gas technology, told NOS. “Groningen is a prime candidate because the field still has a large amount of gas and can supply it quickly.”

Peters cited scenarios that could trigger an immediate gas shortage in the Netherlands and Europe. These include Russia sabotaging pipelines and reducing gas flows from Norway, Iran closing the Strait of Hormuz and halting LNG shipments from Qatar, or the United States blocking LNG tankers over political disputes with Europe. Such events, he said, are now likely.

The Groningen field still holds an estimated 550 billion cubic meters of natural gas. The Netherlands uses about 30 billion cubic meters per year, meaning the remaining gas could supply domestic demand for roughly 18 years. So far, 70 of the field’s roughly 300 wells have been sealed, and six of 22 locations have been dismantled. The Nederlandse Aardolie Maatschappij, or NAM, is carrying out the dismantling operation.

At a former gas installation in Siddeburen, heavy machinery is tearing down steel structures as part of the shutdown. “We make sure this is permanently and definitively sealed,” Emile Luchtmeijer, NAM’s director of decommissioning, told NOS. The closure is expected to cost about 2 billion euros and involve roughly 200 workers. NAM estimates it will take about 10 years to seal all wells and remove above-ground facilities. Once finished, sites are to be restored to their original condition, mostly as farmland.

Both the Mining Council and Gasunie, the Dutch gas network operator, have previously advocated for a strategic gas reserve. Gasunie is said to be preparing a report on gas supply security that will outline the reserve concept.

The Groningen field has also drawn international attention. Last month, Ukraine formally requested equipment from the Groningen field to help rebuild its energy system, according to the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Netherlands Enterprise Agency. Ukraine’s state energy company, Naftogaz, has discussed using materials made available during dismantling. NAM confirmed it is considering the request.