Vermilion will not place gas drilling rigs in areas where this would be detrimental to the World Heritage status of the Colonies of Benevolence. The company reports this to RTV Drenthe. Wilhelminaoord and Vledderveen, among others, are therefore excluded as possible drilling locations.
“In itself we are very happy with this,” responds Minne Wiersma on behalf of the Society of Benevolence. “We are not against or for gas extraction, but nobody wants gas extraction in the backyard. We wonder why gas should be extracted here exactly.” By exactly here he means the Colonies of Benevolence. The Colonies in Frederiksoord, Wilhelminaoord and Veenhuizen have had the status of the UNESCO World Heritage List for two years now. “A drilling location in this special landscape does not fit here.”
Vermilion wants to extract more natural gas in the municipality of Westerveld and Weststellingwerf. The company is investigating the best location for this. Fourteen options were on the table, including in Wilhelminaoord, Vledder and Vledderveen, but last year research showed that several of these locations are unsuitable due to the Colonies of Benevolence. If a drilling rig is installed at these locations, it will detract from the UNESCO World Heritage status.
Article continues below the video: