Gas extraction in Kaatsheuvel should not continue in the current way, say the province of North Brabant, the Brabantse Delta water board and the municipalities of Waalwijk and Loon op Zand. They have objected to a decision by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy (EZK), which wants to allow the company Vermilion to pump up natural gas at the location in question for another ten years. The authorities in the area demand better guarantees for the quality of drinking water in the area.
Gas has been extracted from relatively small gas fields around Waalwijk for about thirty years. “If this were an application for a new gas field, it would never come,” says deputy Anne-Marie Spierings (Energy). She believes that Vermilion should at the very least be required to comply with the highest level of precautionary measures. Besides drinking water, there are also concerns about nature in Brabant. Part of the gas field is located under the Loonse en Drunense Duinen National Park.
“We really need to prevent the damage that can occur to natural values and the quality of drinking water if soil protection is not in order,” said alderman Louis Laros van Loon op Zand in a statement.
Brabant not only wants extra precautions, but also wants to benefit more from gas extraction. The province, water board and the municipalities are advocating setting up an environmental fund for local sustainability projects “such as insulating homes so that they need less natural gas for heating or reducing the gas consumption of companies”. The authorities will discuss this in consultation with Vermilion.