In 1959, the Dutch discovered a very large underground gas field in the northern part of the Netherlands (the Groningerveld), which caused the gas factory in Amsterdam to become obsolete. On 28 March 1967, the gas production at the Westergasfabriek was finally abandoned.
The soil underneath and around the gas factory was heavily polluted, with among other toxics, cyanide. After the factory closed, the terrain was used by the municipal energy company (Gemeentelijk Energie Bedrijf (GEB). Some of the buildings were demolished.