The Dutch government has said it expects to stop extracting gas from a vast underground field in the country’s north by mid-2022, ending decades of lucrative drilling.
Economic affairs and climate minister Eric Wiebes informed Dutch politicians of the likely end of drilling in the Groningen gas field in a letter to parliament on Tuesday.
The Groningen is a 50/50 joint venture between Royal Dutch Shell and Exxon Mobil.
It is operated by Nederlandse Aardolie Maatschappij BV (NAM).
The government has been under pressure to halt gas extraction because it has caused a series of earthquakes that have badly damaged thousands of homes in the region in recent years.
Last year, the government said it planned to fully stop drilling by 2030.
Mr Wiebes says that extraction will be cut to 11.8 billion cubic metres next year, which will cost the government 400 million euros in lost income.
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