Groningen gas chief says turning the gas taps down is a political decision

The head of the company charged with extracting gas from the large reserves under Groningen province has told the Volkskrant he considers the risks associated with the drilling are ‘acceptable’.

Gerald Schotman, who heads the Nederlandse Aardolie Maatschappij (NAM) – a joint venture between Shell and ExxonMobil – told the paper he sees no reason for the company to reduce the amount of gas being extracted off its own back.

‘I look to see if the risks are acceptable,’ Schotman told the paper. ‘That is my job as NAM director. And they are. So there is no reason for me to limit production.’

The government earlier this week announced a further cut in an effort to reduce the risk of earthquakes, which are causing considerable damage to thousands of homes.

‘It would not be right if we reduced extraction levels off our own back because it reduces income for the treasury,’ Schotman said. However, Schotman declined to comment on the government’s move. ‘It is a political decision. The minister has many reasons,’ he told the paper.

Day and night

The damage caused by the gas extraction is occupying him ‘day and night’ he told the paper. ‘Some situations are desperate. People have all sorts of problems and on top of these are confronted with earthquakes. That has a impact on me,’ he told the paper.

Schotman said he recognises that NAM is not a popular company in the province. ‘I understand the criticism. We have known gas extraction can cause earthquakes for decades. But we’ve only recently realised these quakes are a security risk. That is what we are now working on.’

The Dutch safety board said in a damning report in February that the economic affairs ministry, drilling company NAM and the Dutch mining body ignored safety concerns in their pursuit of profit.