Dutch NAM Starts Groningen Closure
The operator of the giant Dutch Groningen gas field, NAM, has begun the work of removing the ten gas wells from the Uiterburen site, marking the start of the decommissioning process, it said April 20. It said the Uiterburen site would be the first to see the wells closed and cleared out permanently.
The field, the cornerstone of Europe's gas industry since its discovery by the Shell-ExxonMobil joint venture, has been brought to an early closure as the production of gas damaged buildings in the vicinity. Gas worth tens of billions of euros will be left in the ground when the field is put out of action in a couple of years.
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Uiterburen has been out of use since 2008 and the entire above-ground installation has been removed. As a final step, the remaining gas wells must be cleaned up. The wells will be permanently removed in August.