The Dutch government plans to reduce gas extraction from the Groningen gas field in 2020 from the expected 11.8 bcm to 10 bcm, thanks to increased use of nitrogen that makes low-calorific gas suitable for consumers and industry. According to estimates from the Dutch State Supervision of Mines, under normal climate conditions, Groningen gas production will drop to 9.3 bcm in 2020/2021 and 3 bcm in 2021/2022, before reaching 0 from the spring of 2022. After 2022, the field will be used as a reserve during an extremely cold situation. It will definitively close in 2025/2026.
In September 2019, the Netherlands decided to stop natural gas production at the Groningen by mid-2022. Gas extraction from the Groningen gas field, operated by NAM (50-50 JV of Shell and ExxonMobil) was progressively reduced from 53.8 bcm in 2013 to 42.5 bcm in 2014, 33 bcm in 2015, 27 bcm in 2016, 21.6 bcm in 2017 and 20.1 bcm in 2018 (from October 2017 to October 2018). The maximum production from the year through October 2019 was capped at 19.4 bcm but was revised downward to 12.8 bcm (i.e. -3.1 bcm) after a 3.4 magnitude earthquake in Groningen in May 2019.