News item | 05-03-2024 | 6:20 PM
State Secretary Vijlbrief (Mining) has not given permission for new gas extraction under the Wadden Sea from Ternaard for the time being. He announced this today. Vijlbrief is based on advice from the supervisory authority, State Supervision of Mines (SodM). The regulator sees too great a risk of land subsidence for the Wadden Sea. Due care requires that NAM is given the opportunity to also provide calculations for scenarios with lower extraction.
In a letter to the House of Representatives, Vijlbrief indicates that given the advice of SodM, he has no choice but to refuse permission, unless additional data from NAM shows that the extraction has no adverse consequences for the Wadden Sea.
Gas and salt extraction under the Wadden Sea follows the ‘hand on the tap’ principle to prevent natural damage. It is determined how much gas or salt extraction can be extracted so that land subsidence remains within natural limits. These so-called usable areas for gas and salt extraction under the Wadden Sea are partly determined by the expected relative sea level rise, the combination of land subsidence due to natural processes and the predicted land subsidence due to mineral extraction.
Higher sea level rise
A recent report on sea level rise shows that this rise is happening faster than previously thought. State Secretary Vijlbrief subsequently asked SSM to map out what this increase means for the Ternaard gas extraction project. According to SodM, the new advice has important consequences for the submitted Ternaard extraction plan and the decision-making about it. According to SodM, there are too many uncertainties regarding land subsidence as a result of the proposed gas extraction. SodM therefore advises not to allow gas extraction from Ternaard.
State Secretary Vijlbrief: “As a government, we must look carefully at the possible consequences of gas extraction and we will therefore proceed very carefully. The advice from SodM about the risks is very clear and that is why I have decided not to give permission for the time being.”
The new insights into sea level rise will be incorporated into an adjustment to the usable space decision. All operators in the Wadden Sea area must automatically comply with the space in this new decision and, if necessary, bring their extraction into line with it.
Council of State
According to the ruling of the Council of State, the State Secretary must make a decision before April 1. That is no longer feasible. That is why Vijlbrief will ask the Council of State to postpone the decision period.