AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - The Netherlands' highest court on Wednesday dismissed claims against a government decision to allow a minimum level of gas production at the Groningen field this year despite seismic risks.
The court said the government had heeded safety concerns when it decided to cap production at 2.8 billion cubic metres (bcm) in the year to Oct. 1, 2023.
That level was deemed to be the minimum necessary to keep wells operational and to be able to respond to crisis situations that could lead to a shortage of gas for Dutch households.
Opponents had claimed that production should have been ended completely to limit tremors.
The Groningen field, operated by a joint venture of Shell (LON:RDSa) and Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM), still holds massive reserves of natural gas, but production has been wound down in the past decade as quakes caused by extraction caused widespread damage.
Production will end completely after Oct. 1, the government said in June, but with an option to extract limited amounts of gas in extreme circumstances in the coming year.