Stop Concrete Sealing of Groningen Gas Wells for Strategic Reserve, Professor Urges

Energy technology professor David Smeulders warned on October 11, 2026, that pouring concrete into the Groningen gas wells must be stopped immediately to preserve a strategic emergency reserve for the Netherlands. Speaking on NPO 1 broadcast WNL Op Zondag, reported wnl.tv, Smeulders argued that a portion of the field should remain accessible without extracting gas for regular use.

The debate over the subterranean infrastructure centers on a fast-approaching regulatory deadline of spring 2028, after which the wells are scheduled to be permanently sealed. While commercial extraction in the Groningen field ended in October 2023 following years of earthquake damage and safety concerns, energy experts and industry figures are clashing over whether completely entombing the reservoirs strips the nation of vital energy security.

Concrete Sealing Threatens National Gas Reserve

Smeulders compared permanently filling the subterranean wells with concrete to locking a cellar door and throwing away the key. He noted that the Dutch government routinely urges citizens to maintain a 72-hour household emergency supply, yet the state is actively sealing off a domestic gas reserve that could handle long-term national shortages. Currently, the Netherlands relies heavily on imported liquefied natural gas from the United States and pipeline supplies from Norway.

Martijn Klever, the newly appointed director of the Nederlandse Aardolie Maatschappij (NAM), criticized the concrete-filling process as terrible, telling the Financieele Dagblad that it dismantles efficient, high-grade technology. Smeulders echoed that technical critique while clarifying his stance to host Rick Nieman.

My position is: no gas from Groningen, we promised that. But that is of course a totally different question than: should we have an emergency gas reserve?

David Smeulders

Contrasting Emergency Buffer Capacities

The government established a temporary strategic gas reserve at the Alkmaar storage facility following a parliamentary motion by ChristenUnie lawmaker Pieter Grinwis, as detailed by tpo.nl. However, Smeulders dismissed that facility as inadequate for long-term shocks. He pointed out that the Alkmaar storage holds roughly 500 million cubic meters, enough to last only one or two weeks. In contrast, he noted that mandatory national diesel and benzine reserves span 90 days, a scale he believes a domestic gas reserve should match.

Opposition to the concrete sealing also intersects with emerging research regarding seismic mitigation. TNO published a study in July 2026 concluding that injecting nitrogen back into the Groningen field could help reduce pressure differentials responsible for earthquakes, though the research institute emphasized that further safety and feasibility studies are required.

The 2028 Window of Opportunity

Smeulders urged the cabinet to initiate talks with the NAM to bring the gas fields under Dutch ownership before the final sealing occurs. Deputy Prime Minister Bart van den Brink, appearing alongside Smeulders on the broadcast, acknowledged that discussions would likely take place but maintained that the concrete sealing remains current cabinet policy under existing political agreements.