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The largest Dutch gas project in years is being carried out by gas company One-Dyas. The group wanted to build a base near Schiermonnikoog. According to the Energy Board, gas extraction is necessary to increase the security of natural gas supply to the Netherlands. This is necessary now that natural gas supplies from Russia have largely stalled.
But the environmental organizations Mobilization for the Environment (MOB), the German Deutsche Umwelthilfe (DUH) and the German municipality of Borgum sued, which won today. According to the MOB, the construction of the site will lead to harmful nitrogen emissions in the protected Natura 2000 areas in the area. Nearby rocks will also be damaged.
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Bart van de Weijer is the author of economics D Volkskrant and expert in the field of energy conversion. He focuses on issues facing consumers, companies and governments.
Half a billion euros will be invested in the project. The gas extraction work should start in 2024. Now the court has dismissed it. According to the court, it has not been conclusively proved that there will be no damage to nature.
The timpani beat
DUH talks about ‘a breakthrough for North Sea conservation’ According to the German organization, the ruling prevents ‘irreparable destruction of the reef’.
MOB spokesman Stijn van Uffelen said One-Dyas should receive a statement to make a constructive contribution, for example by investing in wind farms. ‘It would be better if they put their energy into that instead of too much fossil infrastructure.’
The energy company itself has responded that it regrets the decision and is considering the next steps. According to the company, the field, along with other surrounding gas fields, will yield 4.5 to 13 billion cubic meters of natural gas. As the field is partly on German soil, this country will also receive a share of the produce. The decision is also a setback to the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy, which had given final approval to the project in June last year to develop the N05-A gas field.
Climate pressure
According to One-Dyas, North Sea gas ‘leads to substantial reductions in CO2emissions compared to imported gas. Gas from Russia has a greater impact on the climate because it has to be transported over long distances, which costs a lot of energy. Methane, a strong greenhouse gas, also leaks. LNG imports of liquefied natural gas from the US also lead to greater climate pressure.
MOB’s van Uffelen says such comparisons are flawed. “It’s clear that we have to get rid of gas. Every investment in new gas infrastructure is a bad investment.’
The verdict is MOB’s 10th victory. Last year, the organization was able to remove the so-called building exemption for the Porthos project. With Porthos, high levels of CO2 Captured and stored under the North Sea off the port of Rotterdam. Porthos is one of the pillars of Dutch climate policy, but the state council said the nitrogen released during construction should not be ignored. Initiators must now demonstrate through environmental testing that the surrounding nature will not be damaged.
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