Curious about the status and forecasts of mining activities in the Netherlands? Take a look at the latest 2020 annual report. Each year, TNO’s Advisory Group for Economic Affairs (TNO AGE) produces the annual report on ‘Natural Resources and Geothermal Energy in the Netherlands’ on behalf of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy (EZK). This annual report provides an overview of the volumes of natural gas, oil, geothermal energy, and rock salt produced in the Netherlands. It also addresses the status of mining permits, underground storage, and oil and natural gas forecasts.
In the annual report, you can read everything about the exploration, production, and storage activities related to natural resources and geothermal energy in the Dutch subsurface that fall under the Mining Act. The annual report consists of two parts. The first part discusses the developments of the past year. The second part provides an overview of the exploration and production of hydrocarbons and the status of permits under the Mining Law on 1 January.
Developments last year
You will find out everything about the quantities of natural gas, oil, geothermal energy, and salt produced in the last year. In addition to the hydrocarbon volumes produced, the annual report gives a 25-year forecast for the production of natural gas and oil from the small fields in the Netherlands. It also provides an update for the current state of affairs of the Groningen gas field. The status and future of the different forms of underground storage, namely temporary and permanent storage, are also discussed. Natural gas, diesel fuel, and nitrogen are currently stored for the short or longer term, with natural gas serving as a seasonal buffer. For permanent storage, CO2 and salt water qualify. Developments are also underway on topics such as hydrogen and compressed air storage.
Overviews of exploration, production, and storage permits
The annual report also includes overviews of all exploration, production, and storage permits active on 1 January of the new year. Here, you can also find more information about the historical production of natural gas and oil since the 1950s, and an overview of current drillings and seismic data.
Would you like to find out more about the current state of affairs of mining activities? Visit the online archive of the annual reports.
