Far right-wing opposition party JA21 plans to submit a private member’s bill aimed at preventing the permanent closure of gas wells in the Groningen gas field, once Europe’s largest natural gas reserve, the Telegraaf reported on Thursday.

Party leader Joost Eerdmans said the proposal would keep part of the field available as a strategic emergency supply rather than restart large-scale gas extraction, the paper said.

Gas production in Groningen was halted after decades of earthquakes linked to drilling damaged thousands of homes and buildings in the province. Public anger over the slow handling of compensation and repairs led parliament to decide in 2024 that the wells should eventually be permanently sealed with concrete.

Eerdmans says that fully closing the field would be a mistake at a time of geopolitical uncertainty and that keeping some wells accessible would ensure the Netherlands can still reach its own reserves in an emergency.

Experts have also warned about risks to future energy security, particularly since the Netherlands reduced imports of Russian gas after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Gas now largely arrives via pipelines from Norway and as liquefied natural gas shipped from countries including the United States and Qatar.

Eerdmans said about one quarter of the 337 wells in the Groningen field have already been sealed, but the rest have not yet been filled with concrete or dismantled. His proposal would legally guarantee that some wells remain accessible under strict conditions.

Many politicians say the problems faced by some people in Groningen means the gas field should stay permanently closed, though some experts argue limited extraction could be safe if production levels remain low.

As yet, there is no majority in parliament in favour of reopening the fields.