What exactly goes into that Drenthe soil? Vroemen: “99.98 percent is salt water. Then there are two other things in it. Chemicals, toxic substances that come from the soil, that’s 0.01 percent. They were already in the soil and you put them back. And the other 0.01 percent are substances that the NAM adds, which are chemicals to prevent bacterial growth and rust.”
The water is put three kilometers underground. “Every day we pump 3 million liters of waste water under the gas field.”
The draft permit states that the NAM wants to do this until 2040. “That is reasonably in line with the energy transition, which must then be implemented so far that the Netherlands no longer needs the oil.” This brings in money, a lot of money. “You’re talking about three to four tons per day. The costs will go down from that.”
Until recently, that waste water went via an old gas pipeline to empty gas fields in Twente. After a series of incidents such as a leaking transport pipe, a crack in an outer pipe deep underground and an increased concentration of toluene in the waste water, NAM is placed under stricter supervision. Residents also protested for years. In December 2021, NAM therefore stopped injecting in Twente.
That is why NAM now wants to take a different approach in Drenthe. Vroemen: “In Twente we have used old pipelines and old wells. In Drenthe we want to use new pipelines made of the best materials that cannot rust. And this minimizes the risk of leaks.”