Habeck has expressed his opposition to the planned gas drilling off the North Sea island of Borkum
German Economics Minister Robert Habeck (Greens) has expressed opposition to the planned gas drilling operations off the North Sea island of Borkum. He stated that the Dutch project is "not necessary" for securing Germany's energy supply, according to a preview in Der Spiegel. He cited marine and nature conservation as "significant arguments" against the project. The German government plans to wait for the outcome of the ongoing legal proceedings surrounding the project before taking further action.
The Dutch company One Dyas intends to install a gas production platform in Dutch territorial waters. Some of the drilling operations under the seabed are planned to take place in German territorial waters. The Lower Saxony State Agency for Mining, Energy and Geology (LBEG), responsible for the corresponding environmental impact assessments, has raised no objections.
According to the agency, the planned drillings will take place at depths of 1,500 to 4,000 meters below the seabed and will not penetrate any protected areas. Neither the residents of the North Frisian Islands and the mainland nor the Wadden Sea protected area will be affected. The agency also pointed out Germany's gas demand and the fact that imported gas has a worse climate balance.
However, an intergovernmental agreement with the Netherlands is still needed for gas production, for which Habeck's Federal Ministry of Economics is responsible. A swift signing does not appear to be planned, as Habeck hinted to Der Spiegel. He expects lawsuits against the drillings and the German government will await the relevant court rulings.
The plans to extract natural gas at the Dutch-German border in the North Sea have been around for years but are highly controversial and were largely shelved before the Russian attack on Ukraine.
The Dutch project, involving a gas production platform with a circular cross-section, is contingent on an intergovernmental agreement with Germany, which is yet to be signed. Despite this, Minister Habeck questions the necessity of this project, citing marine and nature conservation as significant arguments.
