The most important minerals extracted in the Netherlands are natural gas and crude oil. Annual production in 2007 amounted to 68 billion m3 of natural gas and 2.5 million m3 of petroleum. There are 20 mining companies working at around 800 different locations on land and a further 150 locations at sea, in the Netherlands itself and on the Dutch sector of the continental shelf.
Since the discovery of the large gas field in Groningen in the 1960s, the Netherlands has become one of the world's largest producers of natural gas. This earns the Dutch state billions, around 13 billion Euro in 2007 alone, and gives the Netherlands with an important position within Europe. However, only around half of the natural gas extracted comes from the enormous reserves in Groningen, the remainder comes from around 300 smaller fields. There is still around 1000 billion m2 of natural gas present in the Groningen reservoir.
How is oil and gas extraction performed?
Extracting oil and gas is completed in different phases. In the first instance, a mining enterprise will carry out exploratory work in order to detect the minerals. This seismic assessment can be compared to ultrasound scanning. Sound waves are created and then transmitted into the earth, the echoes of these waves then give an indication as to how the earth's strata are composed and where gas and oil may be located.
Drilling then takes place to determine whether or not there actually is oil or gas located in the earth - if there is, the field is examined to decide whether or not the field can be developed, and how. If the teams decide to begin extracting minerals from the field, production equipment needs to be constructed and a pipeline laid before any work can begin. The eventual production can last for many years. When the mining enterprise decides to cease production, the production pits are filled with cement and the valves dismantled. On land, the ground is sanitised and made suitable for other uses. Production equipment at sea is also removed. The final stage is to provide aftercare to prevent nuisance such as subsidence.
