Dutch Shale Gas Backed by Report Commissioned by Ministry of Economic Affairs

The consortium formed by Witteveen + Bos, Arcadis and Fugro presented on Tuesday their report about the potential risks of shale gas commissioned by the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs. The three consultancy firms concluded that the risks stemming from shale gas in the Netherlands are “very small,” despite the fact that “accumulated risks are slightly larger” than conventional explorations due to the greater number of wells required. 

The report, published on the Dutch government’s website, claims that methane would hardly slip into vulnerable aquifers as Dutch shale formations are deeper than the ones in the United States.

“After receiving the opinion of the NCEA I will take my decision about the future and inform the House. If I decide that applications for exploratory drilling in treatment can be taken, then several steps will follow before final authorization,” commented Henk Kamp, Minister of Economic Affairs, referring to the opinion of the Netherlands Commission for Environmental Assessment (NCEA) expected in September.

According to the minister, the country will go for shale gas if this natural resource can be exploited in a “responsible fashion in the Netherlands” and “if we gave it in economically interesting quantities.”

The Dutch coalition government has not yet formed a clear stance with respect to shale gas. Liberals endorsed it on several occasions, while Labour members voted against hydraulic fracturing at a party congress in May. They stated their willingness to change their position in case research shows it can be done safely.