The planned gas production in the German North Sea is being heavily criticized. From the Chancellor’s point of view, there is no way around it.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) assumes that gas drilling will soon begin off the North Sea island of Borkum. “There are permits on the Dutch side. There are permits on the German side,” Scholz told the radio station ffn. “It would be very unlikely to assume that the project will not be realized.”
Last week, the responsible Lower Saxony state office granted the Dutch energy company One-Dyas an 18-year permit for the controversial drilling. The drilling is to extend from the Netherlands under the seabed into German territory near the Wadden Sea National Park. However, an agreement between Germany and the Netherlands is also required for gas extraction.
Climate activists are calling on the federal government to stop gas extraction off the North Sea island of Borkum. Federal Environment Minister Steffi Lemke (Greens) has also recently expressed criticism and appealed for the protection of the Wadden Sea. Federal Economics Minister Robert Habeck (Greens) expects lawsuits and wants to wait for court decisions before possibly signing the agreement.
Source: Stern
