There are many activities in and around the GEMS area. Can these go together?

The choice of location for the platform takes into account other uses. ONE-Dyas is aware of the effects the project may have on the environment and wants to be a reliable partner and good neighbour. This is achieved, among other things, by ensuring that the activities fit in as well as possible with the (other activities in the) surroundings. All this is done in the safest and most responsible way for both people and nature. ONE-Dyas is committed to proactively seeking dialogue and possible cooperation with stakeholders.

Cumulation test

The research in the cumulation test shows that there are no significant effects due to cumulation of effects of the intended activity N05-A with the effects of other activities that (may) take place in the future. To prevent cumulative effects with future projects of ONE-Dyas itself, ONE-Dyas will ensure that no cumulation of underwater noise occurs during the (simultaneous) implementation of the projects.

What will happen to the area after completion of gas extraction?

At the end of the extraction process, all boreholes will be decommissioned.

There are two possibilities:

  1. suspend – the borehole is closed off with a valve.
  2. abandonment – putting mechanical and cement plugs at various heights in the borehole. Then the plugs and the conductor are cut off and removed 6 metres below the seabed.

When extraction is complete, all the boreholes are capped. The platform is removed, its anchoring posts are cut away and removed 6 metres below the seabed. This ensures that no fishing gear can get stuck behind them. ONE-Dyas first writes a work plan for this, which must be approved by the State Supervision of Mines. Everything is returned to its original state, which is generally better than before due to the nature development that has taken place.

Can nature development and gas extraction coexist?

Gas extraction and nature development need not be mutually exclusive. No other activity may take place within 500 metres surrounding a drilling platform. This means, for example, that no shipping or (trawl) fishing is allowed. This allows marine life to develop undisturbed. The platform provides a hard substrate on which flora and fauna (including shellfish) can develop. Together with nature organisations, ONE-Dyas wants to draw up a monitoring proposal for new research.

Can flaring be limited as much as possible?

ONE-Dyas wants to limit the occurrence and duration of flaring as much as possible. ONE-Dyas, therefore, wants to use the treatment process as much as possible to test newly drilled gas fields after drilling. If flaring is necessary, a birdwatcher is called in to advise on the appropriate time for flaring. Flaring is, as much as possible, done during the day. This protocol is applied by ONE-Dyas by default and so far there have been no incidents with birds.

What is the potential impact of emissions to water?

Emissions of pollutants into the sea occur as a result of the activities. These emissions ( spills ) may affect nature. Emissions to water occur mainly during the drilling and production phases.

In the drilling phase, this is water-based drilling mud and cuttings, and in the production phase, the production water that is released during gas treatment. In both phases, the sanitary water and rainwater that washes off the decks is also discharged into the sea. The Mining Regulations sets rules for discharge of pollutants into the sea, such as a maximum oil concentration in discharged water. ONE-Dyas and the operator of the drilling platform ensure that the requirements are met.

No significant effects

Turbidity and sedimentation as a result of the discharge of drilling mud and drill cuttings can have an effect on nature and have been investigated in the Nature Assessment. This study shows that there are no significant effects due to turbidity, because the effect is small and temporary and the area is naturally dynamic. Sedimentation of the drilling mud does not have significant effects either.

The coarse fraction of drilling cuttings will sediment quickly. Per drilling, a maximum layer thickness of approximately 23 cm is expected within a radius of 95 metres from the platform. In twelve drillings, taking the worst-case situation into account, the joint layer thickness of one and a half centimetres is only exceeded within a distance of approximately 105 metres from the discharge pipe. Beyond that, there is no or a negligible amount of additional sedimentation.

What is the impact of underwater noise on marine mammals?

The effects are investigated in the Nature Assessment.

Construction phase

The driving of the anchoring piles to install the production platform is the main source of underwater noise. This takes approximately two days.

The driving of the anchor piles requires mitigating measures. To mitigate the effects of underwater noise on marine animals, a bubble screen is installed around the platform during the pile driving. This will lead to a considerable reduction of the underwater noise by 7 to 11 decibels. The noise pollution therefore remains within the Dutch and German standards. ONE-Dyas will keep the option open to apply other noise-reduction techniques, as long as these can reduce the noise by a sufficient number of decibels.

Drilling phase

The most significant noise emissions in the drilling phase are caused by the driving of the conductors (maximum of twelve). The driving of each conductor takes approximately twelve hours. After the drilling is completed, a VSP survey is carried out. VSP stands for Vertical Seismic Profiling. This involves a detailed mapping of the earth layers that have been drilled through. The sound waves of the VSP survey (up to five) also create underwater noise. Each survey takes approximately one day. Temporary disturbance of marine mammals by underwater noise is avoided as much as possible by starting the VSP surveys with a low source power to give them enough time to leave the area (a soft start).

The driving of the conductors and the performance of a VSP survey comply with the legal standards.

What measures does ONE-Dyas take to reduce emissions to the air?

Platform N05-A will be the first offshore gas production platform in the North Sea to run entirely on wind energy. The electrification of platform N05-A with the help of wind energy means a considerable reduction in emissions of methane, nitrogen and CO2 . Emissions from the production platform will be zero, and for the entire project we are talking about an 85% reduction.