In his bill Erkens writes “that domestic production such as the extraction of gas from the North Sea or hydrogen from Eemshaven has been chosen, even if imports would be slightly cheaper”. In the long run, this should have a positive impact on energy costs, believes the MEP. “Because we are less sensitive to authoritarian regimes in the field of energy, it eventually becomes cheaper.”
“There are still 80 billion cubic meters of gas in the North Sea.”
According to Correljé, the VVD is presenting a feasible plan here. ‘There are still 80 billion cubic meters of gas in the North Sea. With some encouragement that can be worked out.’ The costs for this production will not differ much from the costs for importing the gas, thinks Correljé. “Proceeds from gas from the Dutch side of the North Sea go directly to the treasury. Furthermore, the CO2 emissions of gas extracted nearby are much lower than the emissions released during transportation.’
Route change
Similar plans could previously count on strong criticism. The cost would be much higher than importing. And it was precisely the VVD that preferred cheap gas from Russia to gas from the Netherlands. In this respect, Erkens’ plan is a change of course by the VVD.
According to Correljé, the gas will also be needed for a longer period of time, despite the importation of LNG from other countries. And then it’s also important that the Netherlands produce that gas themselves. However, due to low gas prices due to cheap gas from Russia, investments in this sector have been halted. “With the current gas price, the infrastructure needed to extract those 80 billion cubic meters from the North Sea would be easier to build.”
Capacity
“New fields are already under development,” says Correljé. “And we can continue with that.” The problem mainly lies in the ability of the companies involved in this. Their focus has shifted to wind farms in recent years. “And that competes.”