BERLIN: German energy provider EWE plans to cut its consumption of gas from the Dutch onshore Groningen field by 75%, the Netherlands’ Economic Affairs minister, Eric Wiebes, said Wednesday.
The company expects to reduce imports for the Groningen’s low-caloric gas by 1.7 billion cubic meters per year (Bcm/y) from the end of 2019, Wiebes said. EWE’s plan is a “big step” and will help on the eventual shutdown of the field, the official said.
The minister is to present a final decision and strategic plan to lower gas production at the field, operated by NAM, by late March. He has called on industrial users to reduce their reliance on Groningen gas, and look into alternative energy sources. Foreign buyers such as EWE would convert high-calorific gas from other Dutch fields to the low-calorific gas its infrastructure is built for.
Also on Wednesday, the Dutch gas regulator SodM requested NAM to provide a new review of production at the Groningen field, in northern Netherlands.
