Main Information

Groningen is the major city of the Northern Netherlands, accommodating a network city of 450.000 residents with an ideal distribution of space, traffic, infrastructure, living, working, recreation and a splendid national park. Groningen itself counts 185.000 inhabitants which makes it the eighth largest city of the Netherlands. Over a half of the population is under 30 years old, with 50 thousand students.

The most important branches of industry in the province of Groningen are the extraction and distribution of natural gas, starch, sugar, paper, basic chemistry, basic metal and shipbuilding. Energy, IT, chemistry, life sciences and agrifood business are regarded as the North’s most promising sectors. These sectors are very much on the rise: various partnerships have come about and there is no lack of pulling power.

In 1963, large supplies of natural gas were discovered under Groningen soil. It was a boost to the national economy and a boost to the city and region. From the very start in 1963, research on energy and energy transport was concentrated in Groningen.

The Netherlands was the first country to exploit natural gas on a national scale and is now a major international hub in the European natural gas network. Control centre: Groningen, in the Netherlands Groningen is referred to as Energy Valley.

Transition to a sustainable energy management, and the crucial role that natural gas occupies in this, provide the foundation for further expansion of economic activities in North Netherlands.