“We can’t afford demanding a continuous supply of gas from the Netherlands, whilst at the same time refusing to produce it ourselves,” said the economy secretary Bernd Althusmann in a news item about the cross-border N05-A development in German and Dutch waters.
It was headline news in the Netherlands yesterday. Until recently, the German authorities had a no-go policy in terms of drilling in the German waters north of the Wadden Islands. But, as the article mentions, the foreseeable gas shortages in Germany have now changed perspectives.
For that reason, Chris de Ruyter van Steveninck, chairman of operator ONE-Dyas, assumes that first gas from this fully electrified N05-A development can take place within two years. He also adds that the N05-A field and surrounding prospects and discoveries could deliver a total of up to 60 Bcm, which is one and half times the annual consumption in the Netherlands.
At the same time, the mayor of the nearest Dutch Wadden Island Schiermonnikoog is still against the plans. She states: “It is just old fashioned and outdated to drill for new gas fields.” The same can be heard from the German Wadden Island Borkum, where a representative of the council is being quoted: “We prefer drilling for gas further north.” Have these people heard about LNG being shipped from the USA, and the associated additional CO2 burden that brings?
In the light of the rapidly declining domestic gas production from European shelves, a development such as N05-A should be welcomed. It will not reverse the trend of declining production overall, but it will lessen the burden on imports and hence the additional CO2 footprint. In a way, it is sad to have to conclude that a war in the east is required to make these things happen, as imported gas from Russia also comes with a higher CO2 footprint than domestic gas production.
HENK KOMBRINK
