(Bloomberg) -- The Dutch government will temporarily extract minimal amounts of gas from the Groningen field due to the severe cold snap hitting Europe this week.

Two gas wells at the field in the northeastern Netherlands will run on ‘pilot light,’ which means a minimum amount of gas will be extracted. Groningen, Europe’s largest gas field, is set to permanently shut down this year due to the earthquakes it has caused. The government currently uses the field only for emergencies.

The gas wells are meant to be put on ‘pilot light’ if the average 24-hour temperature drops below -6.5 C. The Dutch meteorological institute expects an average of -6.6 C on Tuesday. The field, operated by a joint venture of Shell Plc and Exxon Mobil Corp, will halt production once low temperatures are no longer expected.

“The extraction is therefore minimal, namely only extraction on the pilot light at two locations for about two days,” Dutch State Secretary Hans Vijlbrief wrote in a letter to parliament on Monday. That allows for a quick response if key production assets at gas storage facilities were to fail.

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