- Fridays for Future: No natural gas production before Borkum
The climate protection movement Fridays for Future is aiming to prevent gas extraction near the North Sea island of Borkum. They argue that both climate and significant environmental damage in the Wadden Sea are to be expected, and have written an open letter to the Lower Saxony state government and federal ministers Annalena Baerbock and Robert Habeck, which has been made available to the German Press Agency. "We appeal to you: Stop the nightmare of impending gas extraction near the island of Borkum!" They call for the necessary permits for the extraction to be blocked.
The Dutch energy company One-Dyas plans to extract gas from a field near the islands of Borkum and Schiermonnikoog - at depths of up to four kilometers. A drilling platform is to be built on Dutch territory. Extraction is scheduled to begin in December, both in Dutch and German territorial waters, near the Lower Saxony Wadden Sea National Park. One-Dyas plans to extract gas over a period of 10 to 35 years.
Last week, the installation of the drilling platform was initially prevented by around 20 Greenpeace activists using boats and floating islands.
Permits from both the Netherlands and Germany are required for the gas extraction. The Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs has already issued the license, but a legal proceeding is ongoing at the highest Dutch court. In Germany, the permitting process is underway at the Lower Saxony State Office for Mining, Energy and Geology (LBEG).
Fridays for Future emphasizes that the federal and state governments have committed themselves to phasing out fossil energies. In the Lower Saxony coalition agreement, the island of Borkum is even explicitly mentioned as particularly worthy of protection. "And now you plan to enable a new gas field off the coast? With all due respect: In which world do you live?" the climate activists write.
The planned drilling platform cannot contribute to energy security, as the gas extracted near Borkum would only cover a maximum of one percent of Germany's annual demand. However, similar projects have already led to ground subsidence, earthquakes, and water pollution. The UNESCO has already warned that the extraction of oil and gas could lead to the loss of World Heritage status.
Production of natural gas from the field near the islands of Borkum and Schiermonnikoog by One-Dyas is a contentious issue, with Fridays for Future arguing against it due to potential environmental damage in the Wadden Sea and its contradiction to the governments' commitment to phasing out fossil energies. The extraction, if permitted, could only meet a small fraction of Germany's annual gas demand.
