Groningen gas field

The Groningen gas field is a methane field in Groningen province in the northeastern part of the Netherlands. With an estimated 2,740 billion cubic metres of recoverable methane (most of which has already been extracted), it is the largest methane field in Europe and one of the largest in the world. The gas field was discovered in 1959 near Slochteren, in the northeast of the Netherlands. The subsequent extraction of methane became central to the energy supply in the Netherlands. Virtually the entire country was connected to Groningen gas in the following years. Revenue from methane production became important in the post-war development and construction of the Dutch welfare state. As of 2013, 2,057 billion cubic metres of methane had been extracted from the field. Gas extraction resulted in subsidence above the field.