Dutch PM’s party wants to speed up North Sea gas drilling

The VVD wants to accelerate gas drilling in the North Sea. At least 50 billion cubic meters of gas can be extracted there, but slow permit procedures mean it's taking a long time to get to drilling. "We want to become as independent as possible from Putin's gas as soon as possible," VVD MP Jereon van Wijngaarden said to RTL Nieuws.

In the Netherlands, it can take five to six years to get gas drilling permits. According to Van Wijngaarden, "the British are showing that things can be done much faster." The UK approved gas drilling permits in about two years.

"The entire complicated official process to get a permit simply has to take place faster," he said. The responsible State Secretary, Hans Vijlbrief for Mining, must free up more people to assess the permit applications, Van Wijngaarden said. At the current gas prices, the North Sea gas could be worth up to 60 billion euros, according to the broadcaster.

Insiders told RTL that Vijlbrief is in favor of speeding up gas drilling in the North Sea. The Rutte IV coalition agreement also expressed support for this.