JA21 submits law to keep Groningen gas fields open as "strategic reserves"
JA21 wants to legally establish that the Groningen gas fields must be kept open as a “strategic reserve,” allowing for further natural gas extraction in certain situations. Party leader Joost Eerdmans, who has long advocated for keeping the Groningen gas fields open for emergencies, will submit a legislative proposal to keep the field operational during a parliamentary debate on energy on Thursday.
The recently started war in Iran is driving up gas and oil prices, making many think back to 2022, when Russia’s invasion of Ukraine sparked an energy crisis in Europe and resulted in skyrocketing energy bills in the Netherlands. According to Eerdmans, the rising gas prices are “bringing us face to face with the facts” that these reserves are necessary.
“The Netherlands is becoming increasingly dependent on (liquefied) gas from abroad,” JA21 said on Facebook, announcing the legislative proposal. “And while the current geopolitical situation is putting even more pressure on our security of supply, we are destroying our own energy supply. The blunder of the century.”
Eerdmans told the Telegraaf that only about a quarter of the 337 wells in the Groningen gas field have been sealed. The rest are not yet dismantled. He wants to legally guarantee that some of these wells remain accessible.
In a press release, the party said that Gasunie and TNO, among others, support its plans. The State Supervision of Mines (SodM), on the other hand, has long warned that it is unsafe to start gas extraction in Groningen again. The gas fields were closed because of increasing earthquakes. That danger has not disappeared.
At this stage, there seems to be no majority support in parliament for JA21’s plans. According to ANP, PVV leader Geert Wilders has already indicated that his far-right party will support the plan, provided that the Groningen gas field is only used in emergencies and only for the Dutch population. But many other parties feel that the residents of Groningen have been through enough and don’t want to threaten them with more earthquakes.
