Dutch Court to Hear Challenge to Cabinet's Gas Production Plan

The Netherlands' highest court for administrative law has agreed to hear a challenge to the government's plan for output from the Groningen gas field, a spokeswoman confirmed on Thursday.

 

Production from Groningen, Europe's largest gas field, has become increasingly controversial since the Dutch Safety Board found in February that the government had not adequately considered the danger from the earthquakes that it causes.

 

Judges at the Council of State will hear the request for summary judgment on April 1, with a decision likely two weeks later, court spokeswoman Sabine Heijstek said.

 

The politicians and protest groups in Groningen who launched the suit are seeking to have gas production reduced or stopped, but the court's jurisdiction extends only to administrative decisions.

 

The suit that will be heard is technically a challenge to a December decision by the government to set 2015 production from Groningen at 39.5 billion cubic meters of gas.

 

In February, Economic Affairs Minister Henk Kamp ordered production levels cut to 33 bcm, and he is due to revisit that decision in July.