A Dutch court has received 25 appeals against the government's decision to cap production at the Groningen gas field to an annual figure of 24 billion cubic metres from protesters who do not think it goes far enough.
Oil major Shell is said to be interested in entering a second tender process to build a North Sea wind park in July.
A pipeline feeding oil products from the Amsterdam-Rotterdam-Antwerp refinery hub into Germany was closed this week after a leak was reported in the Netherlands, according to reports.
A Dutch court is set to hear arguments that production from Europe’s largest natural gas field should be suspended because earthquakes linked to extraction threaten safety. The Netherlands has progressively cut the amount of gas won from the Groningen field in the north amid protests over the tremors, with the Economy Ministry in June slashing this year’s output cap by 29 percent. The Administrative Jurisdiction Division of the Council of State will hear 41 appeals from local political parties, environmental organizations and individuals against an earlier production decision on Thursday, and possibly Friday, before making a final ruling in October or November.
A Dutch court ordered the government to cut the country’s greenhouse gas emissions by at least 25% by 2020. Activists hope that the groundbreaking ruling will now set a worldwide precedent. The Hague District Court made the ruling in a case brought by a sustainability organisation on behalf of some 900 citizens, claiming that the government has a duty of care to protect its people against looming dangers - including the effects of climate change on this low-lying country.
The Dutch Economy Minister has insisted production at the Groningen field will not exceed more than 36.4billion cubic metres this year. Henk Kamp wrote to the country's parliament to confirm caps previously agreed on Europe's largest oil field would remain in place. In February the minister cut first half 2015 production to 16.5 bcm, sending gas prices surging in Northwest Europe. The overall annual target for the year is still to be confirmed in July.
The Dutch Government has called for a halt to production in part of Europe’s biggest gas field over safety concerns. The ruling by the Council of State means output will be prevented around the village of Loppersum in the northern province of Groningen where the gas field is located. Earlier this year the Dutch Government said it would call for risk analysis from gas companies when setting production levels.
The Dutch government has said it will call for risk analysis from gas companies when setting production levels. It also said it would involve local authorities further in the natural gas process. The measures have come into effect immediately and are in response to a critical report by the country’s Safety Board early this year.