Energy firm One-Dyas has increased gas production from its North Sea gas platform to one billion cubic metres a year after opening a second well near the island of Schiermonnikoog.
The Dutch government agreed last year to step up offshore gas drilling to make the Netherlands less dependent on imports, following the shutdown of the Groningen gas field last year.
One-Dyas was granted permission two years ago to exploit the North Sea fields, which contain an estimated 200 billion cubic metres of natural gas, despite the objections of environmental groups.
The Council of State rejected a claim by organisations including Greenpeace and WWF that drilling at the site, 20km north of the island, would damage the local environment.
The platform will be powered by wind energy from the neighbouring island of Borkum, which is German territory.
One-Dyas said the scheduled increase in production was unconnected to the conflict in the Middle East, but the Dutch government is anxious to boost domestic supplies as experts warn Europe could be facing fuel shortages within weeks.
Chief executive Chris de Ruyter said the project “aligns with the Dutch policy objective for small fields: to meet existing demand with domestic natural gas as much as possible.”
One-Dyas is developing a third well that will allow it to raise production capacity to two billion cubic metres a year, enough to meet 7% of Dutch domestic demand.
The Netherlands currently imports 60% of its gas, including 14% from Norway and 27% from the United States in the form of liquefied gas (LNG).
The government wants to buy less gas from Russia and the Middle East and reduce LNG imports from the US, which contain higher levels of methane.
