Can the EU cope without Groningen?
Output from the Netherlands’ giant gasfield, a stalwart of European gas supplies for decades, is falling sharply, increasing the continent’s need for imports
The Dutch government says production from the Groningen gasfield will be 27bn cubic metres (cm) in 2016, half the annual volume produced in 2012-13, in line with a court mandate to limit the risk of earthquakes. From 2020, output will fall to 18bn-24bn cm. Previous quota announcements in 2014 and early 2015 had led to rallies in gas prices, but this time it caused a fall, indicating relief that further cuts were not imposed and confidence in the ability of the sector to meet demand. Falling output in Holland and later in the UK offshore sector will, however, lead to a steady rise in European imports. Quite how much will be needed depends on uncertain future demand, as supply is not expected
Also in this section
18 February 2026
The global gas industry is no longer on the backfoot, hesitantly justifying the value of its product, but has greater confidence in gas remaining a core part of the global energy mix for decades
18 February 2026
With marketable supply unlikely to grow significantly and limited scope for pipeline imports, Brazil is expected to continue relying on LNG to cover supply shortfalls, Ieda Gomes, senior adviser of Brazilian thinktank FGV Energia,
tells Petroleum Economist
17 February 2026
The 25th WPC Energy Congress, taking place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia from 26–30 April 2026, will bring together leaders from the political, industrial, financial and technology sectors under the unifying theme “Pathways to an Energy Future for All”
17 February 2026
Siemens Energy has been active in the Kingdom for nearly a century, evolving over that time from a project-based foreign supplier to a locally operating multi-national company with its own domestic supply chain and workforce
