Judge rules: temporary stop to Waddenzee drilling platform

The company ONE-Dyas is not allowed to start building a drilling platform for gas extraction in the North Sea north of Schiermonnikoog. That the court ruled in The Hague on Thursday. According to the judge, the construction of the platform produces so much underwater noise that protected mammals such as porpoises and seals are affected. Nitrogen emissions also have major consequences for Natura 2000 areas in the dunes of Schiermonnikoog. According to the original plan, nitrogen emissions would be compensated by purchasing the nitrogen rights of three farms. The judge finds that method incorrect. With the ruling, the judge annuls the environmental permit granted.

The lawsuit was filed by Dutch and German environmental organizations, because the gas field in question is located in both Dutch and German territorial waters. The judge did not agree with all their objections. For example, there is permission for the construction of an electricity cable to a nearby wind farm and a pipeline from the drilling platform to the mainland. But in order to build the drilling platform, State Secretary Hans Vijlbrief (Economic Affairs and Climate, D66) must first solve the nitrogen and noise pollution problems.

The State Secretary signed the plan to pump approximately 14.2 billion cubic meters of natural gas near Schiermonnikoog over a period of 35 years. The environmental organizations tried to stop gas drilling by, among other things, citing previous rulings from the famous Urgenda case. But the judge did not agree and ruled that the State can decide for itself how it wants to achieve the imposed climate goals of Paris. Especially now that the gas fields in Groningen are also permanently closed, the judge says he sees the importance of gas extraction from small gas fields at sea, “in the light of the energy transition and security of supply.”

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