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Commission accuses government of endangering citizens

2023-02-24T17:56:36.189Z


A parliamentary committee in the Netherlands has published a damning report on domestic natural gas production. Government and corporations would have accepted earthquakes to cash in.


Enlarge image

Natural gas pipelines in the Dutch province of Groningen

Photo: JOHN THYS / AFP

The Dutch state and the oil companies Shell and ExxonMobil have apparently disregarded the safety of citizens for decades.

According to an investigation report, they just kept producing natural gas in the northern province of Groningen, near the border with Lower Saxony, despite numerous earthquakes.

"Money was more important than security," writes a parliamentary commission of inquiry in its final report.

Leading politicians, including Prime Minister Mark Rutte, underestimated the seriousness of Lange for far too long, and ministers acted negligently.

Politicians were shocked by the Commission's verdicts.

Prime Minister Mark Rutte said the report "had hit him hard".

Before reacting to the content, however, the almost 2,000-page paper must be read thoroughly.

The two companies involved in gas production, Shell and ExxonMobil, took note of the report, but did not want to comment on the possible consequences.

Shell admitted that the corporations had not paid enough attention to the concerns of citizens about damage and dangers.

"Groningen has been neglected," said the current boss of Shell Netherlands, Marjan van Loon.

A spokesman for ExxonMobil spoke of an important report that must first be read carefully.

Ex-Shell boss Ben van Beurden testified before the commission of inquiry in October and expressed his deep regret.

Looking back at the problems caused by gas production, he feels "regret, shame and sadness".

Former ExxonMobil boss Joost Van Roost refused to testify.

Gas production in Groningen has caused around 1,600 earthquakes since 1986.

Tens of thousands of buildings were damaged and around a hundred thousand people were affected.

Still not all citizens have been compensated.

The Groningen natural gas field was discovered in 1959 and production began in 1963.

After Norway, the Netherlands became the largest natural gas producer in Europe.

The state earned more than 360 billion euros, the oil companies Shell and ExxonMobil around 66 billion euros.

In 2018, the government decided to phase out production by 2023.

ssu/dpa-AFX

Source: spiegel

All business articles on 2023-02-24

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