Although the gas tap in Groningen will be turned off on October 1, 2023, the gas plant will not be immediately dismantled, the report said.
Moreover, gas wells will remain open until October 1, 2024, in the event of a very cold winter, the broadcaster reported.
Dutch State Secretary for the Extractive Industries Hans Vijlbrief called the government's decision to stop gas production in Groningen an "important moment" for the people of the province, who have been suffering from the effects of gas production for decades.
The giant Groningen gas field in the north of the Netherlands was discovered in 1959 and development began in 1963. The initial recoverable gas reserves of the field were 2.9 trillion cubic meters. For many years the field was the main source of gas supply for northwest Europe, but due to numerous earthquakes in the province in the 1990s the Dutch authorities decided to gradually limit production from the field."