- AMSTERDAM: The top court in the Netherlands ordered the suspension of the Bergermeer gas storage project, the largest in Europe, citing objections by environmentalists and local residents.
The project, which the government had already approved, faced strong opposition locally because of fears that injecting gas into the depleted gas field — near Alkmaar in the country’s northwest — could cause strong earth tremors.
The Council of State, the top court, ruled that the project must be temporarily suspended, pending a final ruling, to avoid “irreversible consequences.”
“There is much resistance against this plan by the government,” the council said in its preliminary ruling.
The Bergermeer gas storage project was intended to store up to 4.1 billion cubic meters of gas when completed, and would be operated by Abu Dhabi National Energy Company, the majority owner.
TAQA, which is 75 percent owned by the Abu Dhabi government, has a 60 percent stake in the 800 million euro ($1,135,000) Bergermeer project, while Energie Beheer Nederland BV, a Dutch state-owned gas company, owns the remainder.