Bad for crested newts, badgers, squirrels and breeding birds, among others. Gas extraction at the Colonies of Benevolence can not only jeopardize the World Heritage status, in terms of nitrogen it also means a ‘significant increase’ in the Drents-Friese Wold and Leggelderveld.
The Canadian company Vermilion Energy wants to extract gas at a new location in the municipality of Westerveld and has a number of locations in mind for this. It concerns a mining site of approximately 200 by 140 meters, so about 28,000 square meters. Vermilion wants to extract natural gas here for a maximum of 30 years.
The possible locations are around Vledder, Vledderveen, Wilhelminaoord and Noordwolde. That is in and around the Colonies of Benevolence, which has UNESCO World Heritage status. Earlier research commissioned by the ministry showed that this status could be jeopardized if gas is extracted there. This was not the case for two locations.
Follow-up research has now been carried out at two locations. One near Vledder, one near Vledderveen. The location at Vledder does not pose a threat to Unesco status, but the one at Vledderveen does. Nevertheless, follow-up research has been carried out into this as a potential gas extraction location. Research has been done into the consequences for nature and proposals from the environment have been investigated. For the location near Vledder, four alternative locations have been investigated in the surrounding area at the request of the local community.
The possible sites for gas extraction from Vermilion. The locations in the green do not pose a threat to the World Heritage status. Follow-up research has now been carried out into locations 6 and 7.
The new research shows, among other things, that there is a ‘significant increase’ in nitrogen at both locations in the nearby Natura2000 area Drents Friese Wold and Leggelderveld. Royal Haskoning concludes that there is a ‘very negative effect’. Extra nitrogen, on the other hand, means worse conditions for crested newts and various breeding birds, among others.
Due to the arrival of a gas extraction location here, the habitat of the pine marten, stone marten and squirrel may also be lost. In any case, a badger sett is lost during its construction.
Nitrogen in the Drents Friese Wold and Leggelderveld is already a problem. There is too much nitrogen in about 90 percent of the Drents-Friese Wold and Leggelderveld. Some butterflies have already disappeared over the years as a result and drifting sands are growing dense.
The advice is to look at techniques that emit less nitrogen, or to compensate for the nitrogen with agricultural companies that stop. Even though measures are taken everywhere to spare nature, the location at Vledder is bad for nature in any case. For example, the study describes that additional measures will ‘improve’ gas extraction at Vledder from very negative to negative for nature and the protected species.
The possible gas extraction site, 300 meters from Vledderveen, is the best in terms of nature. Or as Royal Haskoning concludes: ‘the least bad’. There are problems, including the world heritage. But there seems to be a solution for that. Vermilion has consulted with the Colonies of Benevolence. By relocating the access road for the drilling site at Vledderveen, there would no longer be an obstacle to the World Heritage Site.
Two other problems for the location are nuisance – this mainly concerns the road safety of cyclists – and the technology required to extract gas. For example, the distance to other gas pipelines to connect to is further away, more than one and a half kilometers. This means that a larger drilling rig is needed and additional costs of 1.1 million euros for the construction of a gas pipeline. At the location in Vledder, depending on where the field is located, this is a maximum of 325 meters and involves an additional investment of just under 200,000 euros. In total, an investment of around 22 to 25 million euros is required to start drilling at one of the two locations.
It is ultimately up to the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate whether or not to give permission to Vermilion for gas extraction.