Groningen Output Capped at 9.3bn m3 in 2020-21
Gas production at the Netherlands' Groningen gas field will be capped at 9.3bn m3 in the gas year starting October 1 2020, down from 11.8bn m3 in the current year, Dutch gas regulator SodM said on June 19.
The field, operated by a joint venture between ExxonMobil and Shell, is due to halt production completely at the end of 2022 to limit the risks of earthquakes in the region.
The reduction in output in the next gas year will lower the chance of quakes with magnitudes of 3.6 or higher from 12.5 to 5%, SodM said. The regulator advised that production be halted at the Bierum well cluster to minimise risks.
Even after its closure, Groningen will remain on standby to meet exceptional spikes in gas demand as a result of cold weather.