- Scholz holds the perspective that gas extraction prior to Borkum is probable.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz, representing the SPD, anticipates that gas drilling will commence soon around the North Sea island of Blokhem. "Permits have been issued on the Dutch side, and permits have been issued on the German side," Scholz shared with radio station ffn. "It's quite improbable to assume that this project won't materialize."
The Lower Saxony regional administration recently handed a 18-year license to the Dutch energy company One-Dyas for these contentious drillings. The drilling will extend from Dutch waters beneath the seabed into German territory close to the Wadden Sea National Park. However, a deal between Germany and the Netherlands is yet to be sealed for the gas extraction.
Activists are urging the federal government to halt the gas extraction near the North Sea isle of Blokhem. Federal Environment Minister Steffi Lemke, representing the Greens, has expressed concerns recently and called for the preservation of the Wadden Sea. Federal Economics Minister Robert Habeck (Greens) anticipates legal challenges and is hesitant to proceed before any potential court rulings.
The anticipated gas drilling around Blokhem could potentially lead to significant gas production. Despite the license granted to One-Dyas for gas extraction being finalized between Germany and the Netherlands, legal challenges are expected to delay the actual gas production.