My commentary on potential Fracking in the Netherlands: In Response the to the Dutch Parliament to shove the plan to do test drillings in the Dutch Shale Gas Deposits 6 months to the future from the originally planned starting date in 2014. The Dutch are about to “miss-out” on an up to € 85 Billion Energy Bonanza in the form of Shale Gas Deposits if the Fracking Plan that lays on the table is delegated the waste basket, on account of emotional arguments without considering fact based knowledge on the issue that can be gathered from Test Drilling by Cuadrilla. Should fracking ultimately be decided against on the basis of emotional arguments, and irrational fear of contamination of ground water that possibly is unfounded, then we have to import an equivalent amount of natural gas from Russia at high cost and with up to 20% transportation losses. This is, in a nutshell, what Frank de Boer ffrom Cuadrill and Hans Grünfeld of the Dutch VEMW(Branch Organization of Bulk Users of Energy and Water) states to counter the environmentalist and green energy proponents among which Jan Toymans and Geert Ritsema Another player on the field, Utrecht Professor Wim Turkenburg, seems to be the only unbiased one in the discussion by stating not being an opponent of any technology for fracking. . .as yet. . .as the “facts” on fracking in the Netherlands are not in yet. I surmise he is at least in favour of minimally doing the Test Drilling in order to get the facts on shale gas winning on the table. A curious and unexpected “play” on the field here was the stance of Director Van Nuland of Brabant-Water that exploits the Dutch water company Vitens, who for the last two years has apparently been an staunch opponent of shale gas winning in fear of chemical contamination of the groundwater that Vitens uses for it domestic “Water Products”. If anything this apparent 100% shift of stance on the issue might be a simple example of “vested interest protection management” that large companies tend to apply frequently: The Minister of Economic Affairs, Henk Kamp, has been said to want to have the Water Companies participate in the research of shale gas winning in which fracking is the key instrument to free the gas from the shale. The principle ploy of Minister Kamp, already dubbed, as I interpret it, a “Master Move on the Shale Gas Chess Board”. Ion this the Minister’s tactic is to subtly set the water companies choose sides now to be part of the future decision-making process based on the fact that continued research and test-drilling are to deliver for making an informed choice instead of possibly in the future being confronted with facts that will prove that fracking is worth the risk by any rational evaluation process and having to admit that their opposition to fracking has been unfounded all along. Alternatively should the research and test-drilling definitively prove that environmental damages are to be disastrous then all concerned can take credit for “doing the right thing” by pulling the plug on fracking and to throw the Fracking Plan in the waste basket. For Minister Kamp, if not primarily for the Dutch people and the Environment, he and the water company King Pins are ideal partners to broaden the support base for the shale gas winning and to raise the discussion to a fact-based level for cutting the Gordian Knott fracking now is. Source: The Telegraaf, Edwin van der Schoot, September 20, 2013. Some other reports on the issue: blueandgreentomorrow/2013/09/20/the-netherlands-puts-temporary-ban-on-fracking-ahead-of-further-research/ dutchnews.nl/news/archives/2013/09/no_shale_gas_decision_
Posted on: Sat, 21 Sep 2013 20:03:26 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015