Despite ongoing criticism, Lower Saxony has approved the planned extraction of natural gas in the North Sea off Borkum. From the perspective of activists, the project is now becoming a climate touchstone for the traffic light coalition.
The controversial natural gas extraction off the North Sea island of Borkum is becoming a case for the federal government. The responsible Lower Saxony state office granted the Dutch energy company One-Dyas a permit for 18 years. However, an agreement between Germany and the Netherlands is also required for the drilling, which extends under the seabed into German territory. In addition, environmental groups want to continue to take legal action against the project.
The federal government is coming under pressure from Fridays for Future and Greenpeace, among others. Climate activist Luisa Neubauer said that Federal Minister of Economics Robert Habeck and Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (both Greens) must now show whether they are “on the side of a fossil-fuel climate pollution company or on the side of people, the environment and the energy transition.”
Habeck wants to wait for court decisions on the gas project
Economics Minister Habeck reacted cautiously to the approval of the Lower Saxony State Office for Mining, Energy and Geology and said he wanted to wait for possible court decisions. “This is not a court-proof decision today, it will certainly be challenged,” said the Green politician in Berlin. Only when the relevant judgments have been made will a decision be made as to whether the agreement between Germany and the Netherlands will be signed.
It is a relatively small gas field, said Habeck. “It is less than the annual requirement of German gas consumption, and that will stretch over decades.” The effect on energy security or prices is minimal at best. “And it is a very, very sensitive ecological area,” stressed Habeck. The Wadden Sea National Park is “a pearl in nature conservation.” If gas is extracted, the UNESCO World Heritage site is at risk of being revoked.
The Federal Environment Ministry had already stated before the state agency’s decision that it viewed the “cementation of fossil infrastructures” critically and that it viewed a possible approval “with concern in view of marine protection”.
Environmental associations and the city of Borkum protest
An alliance around the German Environmental Aid announced that it would exhaust all legal means against the project. The partners recently managed to get an order before the administrative court in Oldenburg that a cable to supply electricity to the drilling platform could not be laid for the time being. The town of Borkum also wants to consider legal action.
Netherlands expect quick agreement
The Netherlands now expects the bilateral agreement to be signed quickly. Both countries initially waited until all the necessary permits had been granted, said a spokeswoman for the Ministry of Economic Affairs in The Hague. Now that this is also the case on the German side, the process can begin. The contract must be ready by December 1 at the latest so that gas production can start this winter.
Lower Saxony sees final decision at federal level
Lower Saxony’s Economics Minister Olaf Lies (SPD) said the final decision rests with the federal government: “Ultimately, these are also energy and geostrategic decisions that the federal government has to make here.” The state’s Environment Minister, Christian Meyer of the Greens, said that from a climate protection perspective, new fossil gas or oil production was unnecessary.
The Lower Saxony State Office had explained that the approval stipulated that production would end early as soon as natural gas was no longer needed as an energy source in Germany due to the heat transition. “However, as long as natural gas is still consumed in Germany, the following applies: Natural gas extracted from domestic deposits is considerably less harmful to the climate than imported natural gas,” said the president of the authority, Carsten Mühlenmeier.
Up to 13 billion cubic metres of gas
The One-Dyas Group plans to begin producing natural gas off the islands of Borkum and Schiermonnikoog this year. For this purpose, a production platform is to be built on Dutch territory around 20 kilometers northwest of Borkum. The plan is to drill holes at a depth of 1.5 to 3.5 kilometers and divert them diagonally into German territory. The expected amount of natural gas that can be produced for the entire project is 4.5 to 13 billion cubic meters. According to the Federal Network Agency, around 81 billion cubic meters of gas were consumed in Germany last year.
Source: Stern
