Watch | Business Matters | The gas that Europe has but may not use

A video explainning whether oil or gas exploration cause earthquakes and why are people in India talking about gas in the Netherlands

Nord Stream 1 is an 11-year old, 1200-km pipeline that goes from Russia, under the Baltic Sea, taking Russian gas to Germany. Last month, numerous leaks – apparently caused by explosions – drove supplies to an almost complete halt.

The timing is inopportune, as residential and commercial heating by gas is required to fend off the oncoming winter. Nord Stream 2 is not yet operational. With Europe having built up its gas reserves and relatively warm weather so far, it should be able to see this winter through but the anxiety is about next year, as if it has dip into reserves if the winter happens to be harsh.

One source that could help is a not-so-little field in the Netherlands, and that discussion is a non-starter.

Groningen in the Netherlands has a gas field that began operations in 1963, but starting in the 1980s, the region has seen numerous earthquakes – minor enough to avoid large damage but big enough for local buildings to develop cracks.  The Dutch government had earlier said it would shutter the field in response to local dissent. The closure date was also advanced to 2022 from 2030.

Can oil or gas exploration cause earthquakes? Why are we in India talking about gas in the Netherlands?