NGOs to take legal action against state permit for fossil gas drilling in German North Sea

Several environmental NGOs have said they will take legal action against a partial permit for a planned controversial gas extraction project off the coast of Germany and the Netherlands in the Wadden Sea, a World Heritage Site. Dutch drilling company One-Dyas plans to extract gas from the field, half of which lies under the German North Sea and half under the Dutch North Sea.

The state authority for mining, energy and geology (LBEG) gave the green light for horizontal drillings at a depth of 1,500 to 4,000 metres from the platform – situated on the Dutch side – into the gas field under the German North Sea – for a period of 18 years. "As long as natural gas is still being consumed in Germany, the following applies: natural gas produced from domestic deposits is considerably less harmful to the climate than imported gas," said LBEG president Carsten Mühlenmeier. The state economy ministry had cleared the decision.

The NGOs aim to "exhaust all legal means" against the decision, said Environmental Action Germany (DUH) managing director Sascha Müller-Kraenner. "If new fossil fuel production is permitted in Germany, this will also jeopardise Germany's climate policy credibility," he said.

Dutch authorities have already given the permit for the construction and operation of the platform, the extraction of gas, and its transport, but the NGOs challenged the decisions in court. Last week, a German court temporarily banned the construction of an electricity connection needed to power the platform.

In its coalition agreement from 2021, the government said it would not give permits for new oil and gas extraction projects in the German North Sea. However, the energy crisis laid bare the country's earlier dependence on one supplier – Russia – and spurred a new debate about diversification and supply security.