ONE-Dyas and its partners have approved a £450 million gas field in the North Sea which will be powered by wind energy.
The N05-A field represents the largest investment in a natural gas development in the Netherlands in the last 15 years.
ONE-Dyas CEO Chris de Ruyter van Steveninck said: “This is an important step for the energy supply of the Netherlands and Germany, providing safe and responsible domestic natural gas. With this investment decision, we have demonstrated that we are serious about the energy transition. As an operator, and together with our partners, we want to actively contribute to the security of supply of natural gas to North-West Europe and we are taking a major step in reducing CO2 emissions.”
The project will see the nearby Riffgat Wind Park supply power to the N05-A platform binging emissions “close to zero”.
N05-A is part of the GEMS area in the Dutch North Sea – ‘Gateway to the Ems’, referring to an area, about 12 – 62 miles north of the mouth of the River Ems.
Van Stevenick added: “We have agreed to produce natural gas from the GEMS area only as long as there is domestic demand for natural gas in the Netherlands and Germany.”
The expected volume to be produced from the N05-A field and surrounding prospects is 4.5 to 13 billion Nm3 (normal cubic metres), with gas from the project to be ready for Dutch and German households by winter 2024.
The potential of the wider Dutch-German GEMS field has been estimated at around 50 billion Nm3 in total, depending on exploration success.
ONE-Dyas is 33% owner-operator, alongside joint venture partners Discover Exploration (27%) and EBN (40%).
The operator said it had received “confidence” from the Dutch Government “in the necessity” of this project when awarding the permits, with backing from Germany.
Support of both countries has contributed to the project now entering a phase of concrete preparations and investments, the company added.
However the timing of the final investment decision comes a day after the Dutch Government agreed to minimise output from the flagship Groningen onshore gas field, with extraction to end in 2024 by the latest.
ONE-Dyas said it will continue to explore integration opportunities with areas like offshore wind with N05-A, alongside nature-inclusive construction.
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