Controversial Gas Extraction Plans in De Blesse Spark Environmental Concerns and Legal Battle

Wetterskip Fryslân is talking to the Council of State about the plans of the Canadian company Vermilion Energy to expand and expand gas extraction near the town of De Blesse.

The plans are at the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate (EZK). approved, but the water table agrees and is attractive. The region of Friesland and the municipalities of Weststellingwerf and Westerveld (Drenthe) have entered the water table.

De Blesse’s gas field is located in the Frisian town of Weststellingwerf, on the border of Drenthe, Friesland and Overijssel. In the border area, Vermilion Energy is drilling for gas in several small areas. In 2022, the company submitted a request to the Ministry of Economic Affairs to expand and increase production at De Blese.

The Secretary of State approved the amended extraction plan last November, but several local authorities, such as Wetterskip Fryslân, are strongly against gas extraction in the area.

They are concerned about the consequences and they point out the danger of falling from the land and the impact they could have on nature, people and the environment. Water levels relative to ground level can change due to subsidence. When flood defenses fall, the risk of flooding increases.

according to RTV Drenthe this is the first time that Wetterskip Fryslân has gone to the Council of State.

With all applications for gas extraction, it is necessary to map in advance how the earth can go down as much as possible and what the consequences are for, among other things, the water system. Land subsidies in the area are expected to change a few centimeters in the plans for De Blese.

Since gas extraction began in 1999, the ground has dropped about four centimeters. In the latest plans, Vermilion assumes a maximum fall of eight centimeters.

The gas extraction field at De Blesse is located between the upper sandy soils of Drenthe and the lower Frisian peat polders. Soil subsidence can cause problems here, says Joca Jansen, water expert at Wetterskip Fryslân.

“As more water drains from the higher places, it becomes drier. In the lower places it becomes more difficult to keep it dry, because more water is going there.” This can lead to drought or wet damage, says Jansen.

When extracting gas, the ministry assumes that the water table can adjust the water level to compensate for the effect of gas extraction. But according to Wetterskip Fryslân director Remco van Maurik, that is not easy.

“We understand that the system has come to an end and we should not put more burden on it,” he says, referring to water management. “We are working on all kind of national and regional programs to keep it alive. This is on top of that and will affect the system even more.”

Measures can be designed for these problems, he says, “but everything that is technically possible may be unattainable or undesirable. ” According to agreements, Vermilion pays back all the steps that water boards have to take in the area. But Wetterskip Fryslân is not confident, because according to the water board the damage is irreversible.

The consequences of gas extraction are not only a problem for the water table, but for the entire sector, says Van Maurik. “If you want to fight dehydration in Drenthe, for example, you have to keep water there and bring it to it. That costs a lot of money. More money than we get with this gas.”