Germany’s biggest oilrig, the Mittelplate station in the North Sea, may be forced to close down permanently.
As reported by newspaper Bild on March 16, a court in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein ruled in February that the rig – which started operations in 1985 – may harm local flora and fauna.
The court thus sided with German environmental NGO Deutsche Umwelthilfe, which had first brought the suit against the rig, and ordered the immediate shutdown.
While a higher court later suspended the immediate closure pending the outcome of an appeal against the ruling by Harbour Energy, the operator of Mittelplate, the rig may still have to close down.
That would mean the loss of 1,000 jobs as well as crude oil production equivalent to one per cent of German demand.
Sascha Müller-Kraenner, manager of Deutsche Umwelthilfe, said: “We assume that the operator’s appeal will not be successful and that the protection of the protected area will be given priority over fossil fuel interests and environmentally harmful oil extraction in the sensitive natural environment of the Wadden Sea.
“We expect a decision on the appeal to be made shortly, as this is a summary proceeding.”
The environmentalists had argued that the oil rig was situated in a Natura 2000 zone that covers parts of the intertidal zone Wattenmeer (Wadden Sea) off the north German coast.
Natura 2000 is a network of specially protected natural areas throughout the European Union.
For the rig to operate in this protected zone, the NGO had argued, it was necessary to examine whether the oil production did or did not endanger local flora and fauna. This examination had allegedly never been carried out.
The court sided with the NGO, even though the rig had received its certificate of operations in the early 1980s while the Natura 2000 zone was only declared in 2007.
If the higher court dismisses the appeal, the state of Schleswig-Holstein may have to compensate the operator – which reportedly was granted an operating permit until 2041 – for damages that may surpass €100 million.
German science journalist Alex Bojanowski said on X yesterday the court ruling illustrated the disproportional influence of German environmental NGOs: “In Germany, all nuclear power stations are shut down, natural gas production is banned, and oil production is halted (at times when oil prices are high, no less) if environmental organisations so desire it.”
While Germany is already highly dependent on imports of oil and gas to make up for its hampered domestic production, there may be danger lurking there as well.
As reported by Apollo News today, major German fossil fuel importers are warning that the European Union’s Methane Emissions Directive may negatively affect security of supply.
From 2027 onwards, oil and gas importers will be required to measure and reduce the emissions of methane – a gas believed to contribute to global warming – for the fuels they import, facing heavy fines of up to 20 per cent of annual turnover for compliance failures.
A study earlier this month by the International Association of Oil and Gas Producers (IOGP) predicts that may cause imports of gas to drop by 43 per cent and oil imports by 87 per cent.
