Dutch court to rule on Eemskanaal gas field by June 1

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AMSTERDAM, May 21 (Reuters) - A Dutch court will rule on a request to restrict gas production at Eemskanaal, part of the large Groningen gas field, by June 1, Council of State spokeswoman Sabine Heijstek-van Leussen said.

The court, which has previously rejected a request to restrict production at Eemskanaal, decided on Thursday it would issue a preliminary ruling on a second complaint lodged by residents.

Production at Groningen has become increasingly controversial due to small earthquakes, which have damaged homes and buildings across the region.

Eemskanaal produces around 2 billion cubic metres (bcm) of gas annually, or a little more than 5 percent of the total 39.4 billion cubic metres theoretically allotted for the entire Groningen gas field this year.

In February, Dutch Economics Minister Henk Kamp ordered production in Groningen to be dialled back to 16.5 bcm for the first half of 2015 after the country's Safety Board found gas companies, regulators and the government had all failed to take the threat of earthquakes seriously enough.

That move sent gas prices surging in Northern Europe.

On July 1, Kamp is due to set production levels for the rest of the year.

However, challenges to his plans at the Council of State -- a court that hears citizen complaints about government decisions -- are set to continue. (Reporting by Toby Sterling; editing by Susan Thomas)