UPDATE 1-Dutch Senate delays Groningen gas field shutdown

The Dutch Senate has postponed a vote on a law to close permanently the Groningen gas field, angering the government that has said production would never resume because of the risk of earthquakes. Normal gas production at Groningen in the north of the Netherlands ended last October after years of output cuts to limit seismic activity, linked to decades of extraction, that has damaged thousands of buildings. Although backed by the Lower House of parliament last month, several Senate factions on Tuesday said they needed more guarantees that the law would not jeopardise the security of the country's gas supply.