The state of the natural world around. - Netherlands: Construction of North Sea gas well temporarily paused.
Ever since morning, Greenpeace has taken hold of the platform roughly 20 kilometers north of Schiermonnikoog and Borkum.
There had been a significant shift last week when the Dutch Ministry of Finance made arrangements for gas exploration in the North Sea. A change in the environmental permit was approved, following a court ruling. In April, a Hague administrative court had, to a degree, supported the concerns of the complainants against the drilling and declared a construction hold for the drilling platform. The apprehensions raised by the court were believed to be fixed in the new permit by the ministry.
Environmental groups from both countries, as well as the island of Borkum, filed for a temporary restraining order. They were worried about potential damage to the Wadden Sea nature reserve. According to them, the erection of the platform would already lead to a nitrogen emission, which is hazardous to the environment.
The head of the German Environmental Aid, Sascha Müller-Kraenner, applauded the verdict. He urged the Lower Saxony authorities to also reject the request for drilling in German territorial water. In a statement, Lower Saxony's Environmental Minister Christian Meyer (Greens) said: "The planned gas exploration off Borkum remains a source of controversy and has not received any legal authorization."
The Dutch company One-Dyas plans to extract gas from the North Sea in front of the two North Sea islands in 2023. To achieve this, the drilling platform was transported into Dutch territorial waters.
On the morning of the occupation, Greenpeace had organization activists on the drilling platform about 20 kilometers north of Schiermonnikoog and Borkum. Five protesters had scaled the structure, securing themselves with safety harnesses. Greenpeace noted that individuals from both Germany and the Netherlands participated in the action.
A representative from the Federal Police told the German Press Agency that the demonstrators had been identified. However, the responsibility for the operation is left with Dutch authorities. One ship from the German Coast Guard was present in the area on Tuesday. The Water Police of Lower Saxony were heading to the area for security reasons, though they had not yet been involved in the operation, as a police spokesperson in Oldenburg mentioned.
Read also:
- BMWi was initially supportive of the North Sea gas drilling project, but they are now monitoring the situation closely following the court ruling.
- The Environmental Aid in Germany has expressed support for the temporary pause in gas drilling in the Wadden Sea, a protected nature reserve.
- The Dutch and German environmental groups have raised concerns about potential harm to the Wadden Sea caused by nitrogen emissions from the drilling platform.
- The Lower Saxony authorities in Germany have not yet given final approval for gas drilling in their territorial waters, despite the Dutch plans to extract gas from the North Sea in front of Borkum and Schiermonnikoog.
- The German Coast Guard has been present in the area of the North Sea gas drilling platform, but the responsibility for dealing with the Greenpeace demonstrators lies with Dutch authorities.
- The Netherlands' Minister of Finance had arranged for gas exploration in the North Sea, but a court in The Hague had issued a temporary construction halt due to environmental concerns.
- Greenpeace activists from both Germany and the Netherlands scaled the drilling platform to protest against the planned gas drilling in the North Sea, drawing attention to the potential impact on the Wadden Sea environment.
- The Dutch company One-Dyas aims to extract gas from the North Sea in 2023, but their plans have become a source of controversy due to concerns over environmental damage to the Wadden Sea.
- The Administrative Court in The Hague played a significant role in the decision to pause the North Sea gas drilling project, underscoring the importance of environmental considerations in energy development.
