Mar 2 2015, 15:19 ET | By: Carl Surran, Seeking Alpha News Editor
The Dutch government apologizes for ignoring risks posed by earthquakes caused by production of natural gas from the Groningen field, following a report last month by the country’s safety board that found the government, together with Royal Dutch Shell (RDS.A, RDS.B) and Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM), had put profits before safety in exploiting the field.
The economic minister has ordered production at Groningen to be cut by 16% for H1 2015, with another decision on production at the field expected on July 1.
The Groningen field is the largest natural gas field in Europe and the 10th largest in the world. It is operated by government-owned Gasunie and output is jointly exploited by the government, Royal Dutch Shell and Exxon. Extraction has resulted in increasingly strong tremors, some measuring as much as 3.6 on the Richter scale, which have cracked buildings and led to widespread damage claims.
