Gov't must decide about Wadden Sea gas drilling before April 1, Council of State rules

The government must decide by April 1 whether it will allow NAM to extract gas from the gas field near the village of Ternaard in the north of Friesland, the Council of State ruled on Wednesday. The Dutch gas and oil drilling company filed this case against the State Secretary of Economic Affairs and Climate because it has been waiting for an answer since 2019.

NAM submitted ten permit applications in 2019 and 2020 to extract natural gas at the Ternaard mining site in the municipality of Noardeast-Fryslân and transport the gas to the treatment installation in Moddergat. The gas field is largely located under the Wadden Sea, but a small part is under land in the village.

In the lawsuit, NAM asked the Council of State to order the State Secretary to make a decision within two weeks. The State Secretary asked for “a reasonable period” because he is awaiting the results of various investigations. He suggested the end of the first quarter.

During the hearing earlier this month, NAM said it could live with a deadline of April 1, 2024. The Council of State, therefore, “saw no reason to set a different term” and instructed the State Secretary to announce the decision before that date.

NAM’s intention to drill for gas in the Wadden area is controversial, given the gas field’s proximity to Natura 2000 protected nature reserves. Scientists have urged the government to reject the permit applications, and UNESCO even threatened to strip the Wadden Sea of its World Heritage status if the gas mining continues.