About Groningen Gas Field
- The Groningen gas field is in Groningen province in the northeastern part of the Netherlands.
- It is the largest natural gas field in Europe.
- This region of Groningen in the Netherlands has a gas field that began operations in 1963.
- During the 1980s, the area saw numerous earthquakes – minor enough to avoid large damage but big enough for local buildings to develop cracks.
- Following these quakes, the Dutch government had earlier said that it would shutter the field in response to local protests.
- In Groningen, the ground subsiding has been caused by extraction alone over several years.
- Such extraction causes rocks to contract – as the pores get to hold fewer and fewer hydrocarbons over time.
Q1) What are the constituents of natural gas?
Natural gas is an odourless, gaseous mixture of hydrocarbons—predominantly made up of methane (CH4).
Source: Netherlands sticks to plan to close Groningen gas field by October: FT
Last updated on Sep, 2026
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