Why Is Europe Not Making Use Of Its Largest Natural Gas Reserve?

Frequent drillings have triggered earthquakes in the Groningen field area of Netherlands making lives of those staying around difficult and natural gas extraction impossible

Europe wants to use its largest gas field to dodge the menace with Russia over supplies, but the bad news is that it can’t. Its hands are currently tied as it finds it tough to explore its big landmass that has enough untapped capacity to replenish the natural gas it is currently running short of.

The sad news is that its largest gas reserves that are situated in Netherlands are under threat from tremors and therefore might need to be shut down. In question here are the sprawling Groningen field, beneath the windmill-dotted marshlands of the Netherlands. They are considered Europe’s largest natural gas reserve. It holds enough fuel to replace what Germany once imported from Russia.

Surprisingly, frequent drillings have triggered earthquakes in the area making lives of those staying around difficult as well.

Groningen field has been the mainstay of Europe's gas supplies since the 1960s. And even half-century later, there's still about 450 billion cubic meters of extractable gas in reserve — worth around $1 trillion, said the report.

According to Shell Plc, one of the two major partners involved in operating the field, there's more capacity to extract around 50 billion cubic meters per year than is currently flowing.

Dutch mining minister Hans Vijlbrief noted that it would be dangerous to keep producing, but the suffering elsewhere in Europe can't be ignored either. A lack of gas "could force us to make that decision," he said, adding that if hospitals, schools, and homes can't be adequately heated, it could lead to a safety issue.

Europe has been finding innovative ways to mediate energy supply through Russia. Some countries have gone all out to sign up deals with Middle Eastern bigwigs like Egypt and Jordon for example, who may not have the infrastructure but the resources to trade.

However, the energy prices continue to grow and European countries are desperate to find energy sources really quickly. Till the time, renewable sources can become available, a sense of desperation continues.