Dutch Government Backs Unconventional Exploration
The Dutch government seems to be firmly in the unconventional gas camp.
"The potential is huge. There are hundreds of billions of cubic meters of gas trapped in shales," said Jan van Diepen, spokesperson for the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Agriculture and Innovation.
Brabant Resources, a subsidiary of the Cuadrilla Resources, plans to drill the Netherlands’ first unconventional gas well in the township of Boxtel in North Brabant province in July or August. The municipality has issued a permit required for test drilling.
Cuadrilla is partnering with Energie Beheer Netherlands (EBN), a natural gas exploration, production, transportation and sale company owned by the Dutch Government.
Opposition to the drilling in Boxtel was quite muted, with the required permit issued without drawing much attention.
"Yes, it surprised us that there are few objections were raised," said Erik van den Broek, member opposition party on behalf of SP in Boxtel.
Cuadrilla also hopes to drill in the nearby communities of Helvoirt and Haaren.
Willem Jan Atsma, is President of a foundation trying to stop the drilling. However, the response has been less than enthusiastic, with only 500 signatories to a petition on the foundation's web site calling for the halt to shale gas activities. Compare this to France, where a similar petition garnered 80,000 people signatories in a short period of time.
While activities at Boxtel only represent test drilling and a production license is still far in the future, Ministry Spokesperson van Diepen is clear about the government’s position on the of development of shale gas.
"The national interest prevails. The licenses for gas exploration and production are at a national level issue. Although a municipality can delay but not stop."
The independent research organization TNO estimates the recoverable amount of shale gas in the Netherlands to range from in 2,400 to 11,000 billion cubic meters. By comparison, the volume of producible gas in Slochteren, home to the giant Groningen gas field, amounts to about 2.8 trillion cubic meters.
Read the Full Article from Trouw.nl (in Dutch) HERE