The States fractions called for an emergency debate after the message from former minister Stef Blok (Economic Affairs), who said last week that in the coming gas year, twice more gas may be needed from the Groningen field. According to the government, this is because a factory that is supposed to make foreign gas suitable for domestic consumption is ready later than planned. A higher than expected demand from Germany also plays a role.
PS demand that there is a legally established end date for the final closing of the Groningen gas tap. The province believes that The Hague is not complying with earlier agreements. In recent years, because of the earthquakes that were caused, gas extraction was gradually scaled back. The Groningen field should be closed permanently in 2023.
dissatisfaction
Earlier, the province and the Groningen earthquake municipalities already expressed their dissatisfaction with the state of affairs in a letter to The Hague. The administrators find extra gas extraction ‘unacceptable’ and they called on the government to look for alternatives ‘urgently’.
The States members also want the pot of more than 220 million euros in subsidy that the government recently made available for strengthening or making houses in the earthquake area more sustainable, so that everyone can be helped.
The subsidy ceiling was reached after a day on Monday, while not all 53,000 households had been able to apply yet. There were long lines at the physical counters and thousands of people also tried to apply for subsidy online. During the emergency debate, Commissioner of the King René Paas apologized for this on behalf of the provincial government.
