Resolution lifted: State parliament now allows natural gas production before Borkum

Created: 05/19/2022, 17:36

By: Bjarne Kommnick

Lower Saxony now allows natural gas production off Borkum.

But actually, just a short time ago, the environment had “top priority” there.

Borkum – U-turn on the decision against natural gas production off the North Sea island of Borkum, the state parliament in Lower Saxony overturned its decision from autumn on Thursday.

Now nothing stands in the way of the project.

The government made up of the SPD and CDU as well as the FDP and non-attached members of parliament agreed to this on Thursday in Hanover.

The Greens, on the other hand, have rejected the repeal of the decision.

Most recently, the state parliament also announced that a natural gas terminal is also to be put into operation in Wilhelmshaven in the near future.

Lower Saxony state parliament now allows natural gas production before Borkum

The state government wants to allow a consortium from the Netherlands to produce natural gas off Borkum under strict environmental regulations.

But in autumn things looked different.

At that time it was said that the affected areas were "of outstanding importance" and that protection for the SPD and CDU in Lower Saxony had to have "top priority".

In October it was still said that the economic interest in natural gas production must "in any case take second place" compared to the risks for the Wadden Sea.

This is reported by kreiszeitung.de.

Lower Saxony is doing a real about-face and is now allowing natural gas production off Borkum.

© dpa/Sina Schuldt

But obviously not really in every case.

The state government justified its decision with the uncertainties caused by the war in Ukraine.

“We do everything to serve the protection of the environment.

But we are also doing everything to ultimately serve the security of supply in Germany and in Lower Saxony," said Economics Minister Bernd Althusmann from the CDU on Thursday, explaining the repeal of the decision against the ban on natural gas production off Borkum.

Environmental groups expect the livelihoods of North Sea islands to be endangered

For conservationists, however, this is a major setback.

Environmental organizations and also the authorities and residents of the neighboring North Sea islands fear that this will endanger the ecosystem and thus the livelihood of the islands.

The island of Borkum itself has also criticized the government's plans.

Due to the repealed decision, the company One-Dyas plans to operate a platform on the North Sea from the end of 2024.

The production volume should be around two to four billion cubic meters of natural gas per year.

Germany currently consumes around 90 billion cubic meters in total per year.

Although the area is not directly in the Lower Saxony Wadden Sea National Park, it is in the immediate vicinity.

A new resolution was not necessary for the reverse decision.