Abstract Since the discovery of the Groningen gas field, the Netherlands has been a large producer and consumer of natural gas. Current forecasts show that production from convention on- and offshore fields will decline noticibly in the next decades. The Netherlands has the ambition to sustain its prominent role in the northwestern European gas market and will have to be able to meet the future domestic demand. Import of natural gas, either through liquid natural gas import (North Africa, Middle East) or from the East (Nordstream), are therefore evaluated and planned. Following the developments in the United States, the question has arisen if there is shale gas potential in the Netherlands that could add to the domestic gas production. A first evaluation in 2009 confirmed this potential, although the uncertainties are huge. Others have, however, challenged this positive view on the potential resource of the Netherlands. The follow-up work presented in this paper provides more detailed information based on extensive data evaluations and interpretations of potential shale gas targets in the Netherlands.