Public hearings of the parliamentary inquiry commission for natural gas extraction in Groningen will start tomorrow in the House of Representatives. The room deploy this heaviest investigative resource to find out how the decision-making process about gas extraction in Groningen went and how the interests of the people of Groningen were dealt with. Because they have to do with their negative consequences: earthquakes, with all the damage to buildings and health associated with them. What about those earthquakes exactly and how much damage has there been so far? You will find the answers to these and other questions in this article.
How many earthquakes have there been in Groningen?
More than a thousand earthquakes have already occurred in Groningen as a result of gas extraction. KNMI keeps the earthquakes Bee. These are so-called induced earthquakes, which means that they are caused by gas extraction. Since extraction has been phased out, the number of earthquakes has also decreased.
But what is worrying is that the number of earthquakes in the past year higher lay than expected, for the third year in a row. It is still unclear how that came about. If gas production stops, the earthquakes will decrease further. But the risk of tremors may remain for decades to come, and with it the risk of a major earthquake,
What is different about the earthquakes in Groningen than elsewhere in the world?
The earthquakes in Groningen cannot be compared with natural earthquakes, for example in Italy or Turkey. Natural (tectonic) tremors occur at great depths in the earth, at 10 kilometers or more. In Groningen it concerns a depth of approximately 3 kilometers. This means that there is a less thick layer of earth between the quake and the earth’s surface, so that the impact is greater.
For example, an earthquake with a magnitude of 2.0 cannot usually be felt in Italy, while damage to houses can already occur at such a magnitude in Groningen.
Were there any casualties from the earthquakes?
Not as a direct result of a major earthquake. But according to Groningen researchers, this is due to the years of stress and uncertainty in Groningen when their house needs to be strengthened or if they have (multiple) damage. Recently it appeared from the NOS/NPO-Radio 1 podcast ‘Groningen gas: gained or lost?’ It is estimated that an average of 16 people die prematurely each year, with a range of 11 to 21. According to the researchers, this number may be even higher.
How many houses need to be reinforced in Groningen?
There are more than a million damage reports, often several per house. About 2,500 homes have been fortified, or demolished and rebuilt. It is estimated that at least 13,000 homes still need to be reinforced. It has been agreed that this must be done before 2028.
But according to the State Supervision of Mines, that reinforcement operation is seriously behind schedule. Last year, 650 homes were reinforced, in the years before 400 to 500. If this remains the case, the target will not be achieved. That is why the pace must be increased three times, the regulator recently stated.
Who is responsible for (compensating for) the damage?
Exactly this is a sensitive point. Because the agreements between the State and the oil companies Shell and ExxonMobil – the owners of Groningen gas – about the extraction of natural gas remained secret for decades, people in Groningen did not know who to turn to for a long time. It was long said that only the company that extracts the gas, NAM (a subsidiary of Shell and ExxonMobil), was responsible for compensating for the damage. The Supreme Court ruled in 2019 that the State is equally responsible.
There was great dissatisfaction with the non-compliance or incomplete compensation, both in Groningen and in the House of Representatives. NAM has been put at a distance for a few years now. The central government advances the costs and subsequently recovers them in part from NAM.
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