Dutch natural gas reserves deplete in less than 9 years outside

According to Netherlands statistics, there were still 142 billion cubic meters of recoverable gas in Dutch territory at the end of last year. The previous year it was 181 billion cubic metres, and in 2018 it was more than double: 298 billion cubic metres.

“The volume of Dutch natural gas reserves decreased further in 2022 due to extraction and reduced extraction potential in the Groningen field,” Van Moelgen points out. Because of the earthquakes, it was decided a few years ago to stop gas extraction in Groningen in the long term. Last year, natural gas production in Groningen was less than a fifth of total gas extraction in the Netherlands.

The government in The Hague announced earlier this year that the Groningen field would be closed in October of this year, and that the field would be closed permanently after a year. What will remain of Dutch natural gas reserves are smaller gas fields on land and under the North Sea. Last year, 16.1 billion cubic meters of natural gas were extracted from Dutch territory.

When the Dutch stock runs out, the fossil fuels required will have to be sourced entirely from abroad. The CBS economist points out that the quantities of liquefied natural gas coming from abroad have actually increased sharply in recent years. Because of European sanctions against Russia, that country has almost completely lost its main supplier of gas. Now much of the gas comes mainly from Norway and the Middle East.