* By mid 2022 no need for production in average year
* Groningen was once Europe's largest onshore gas field
(Adds context)
AMSTERDAM, Feb 21 (Reuters) - Gas production at Groningen in
the northern Netherlands can be lowered to 10 billion cubic
metres (BCM) this year, the government said on Friday, beating
an initial 2020 target to cut output at the field because of
earthquake risk.
The Dutch government has said it would lower production at
Groningen, once Europe's largest onshore gas field, as quickly
as possible after a series of tremors caused widespread damage
to homes and buildings.
Last September, the state brought forward the cut-off date
to 2022, eight years earlier than initially planned. A cap on
production was set at 11.8 BCM for the 12 months through October
2020.
"A further reduction is possible this year: from the
expected 11.8 BCM to 10 BCM," it said in a statement on Friday.
"By the summer of 2022 there will be no need for production
from the Groningen field during an average year."
Discovered in 1959, the Groningen field - run by Royal Dutch
Shell and ExxonMobil joint venture NAM - was
one of Europe’s main suppliers of natural gas for decades.
Output hit a peak of 88 bcm in 1976.
(Reporting by Anthony Deutsch; editing by David Evans and
Barbara Lewis)
