The German authority Landesamt für Bergbau, Energie und Geologie (LBEG) has approved immediate drilling by Dutch company One-Dyas in a North Sea gas field near Borkum, allowing operations to start despite ongoing legal challenges.

This approval follows the company's initial test phase of gas extraction in Dutch waters earlier in 2025, and permits test operations that involve drilling extending under the German seabed, based on a bilateral agreement between Germany and the Netherlands to jointly exploit gas in the Wattenmeer area.

The decision was justified by the LBEG on the grounds of public interest in energy security, citing geopolitical instability and the need to reduce dependence on external gas imports, with the approval granted amid broader concerns about energy supply stability.

While some German officials, including Green energy Minister Christian Meyer, questioned the necessity of new fossil fuel extraction, others, like Economy Minister Grant Hendrik Tonne, supported the move as a step toward ensuring energy security.

German Environment Minister Christian Meyer emphasized that from a climate perspective, new fossil fuel extraction is unnecessary, contrasting with support from other officials who see it as vital for energy stability.

The project has backing from the German federal government and some politicians, including CDU's Katharina Reiche, who view it as essential for energy security, despite opposition from environmental groups.

Critics, including the Lower Saxony government and environmental organizations like DUH, oppose the project, citing concerns over potential environmental damage to the Wattenmeer habitat and the island of Borkum, which is located about 20 kilometers from the platform.

Environmental groups and parts of the Lower Saxony government argue that the gas extraction threatens the UNESCO World Heritage site and marine ecosystems, and have announced plans for legal action and protests, including a climate camp on Borkum.

Activists from groups such as Fridays for Future and climate advocate Luisa Neubauer are planning demonstrations and legal challenges against the drilling, citing risks to marine life and the environment.

The approval also followed a court ruling permitting the laying of an energy cable from the offshore wind park Riffgat to the gas platform, which environmental groups fear could harm underwater ecosystems.

The gas platform is situated approximately 20 kilometers from Borkum, raising local fears about environmental impacts on the island and nearby protected marine areas.

The drilling involves horizontal or inclined boreholes up to 4,000 meters deep that do not penetrate the seabed vertically, with the platform located on Dutch territory about 23 km northwest of Borkum.