Monitoring of the natural gas exploitation in the Wadden Sea from the locations Moddergat, Lauwersoog and Vierhuizen, Netherlands. Advice of the Audit Committee 2010

The Dutch governmental decree ('Rijksprojectenbesluit') on the project for natural gas exploitation in the Wadden Sea for the locations Moddergat, Lauwersoog and Vierhuizen gives the Dutch Petroleum Company (NAM) the possibility to produce natural gas under specific conditions in the Wadden Sea area from the six fields Moddergat, Nes, Lauwersoog C, Lauwersoog West, Lauwersoog East and Vierhuizen East. The precondition is that the (dynamic) nature in and around the Wadden Sea is not affected by subsidence as a result of the gas exploitation. For this, the NAM must monitor the subsidence and the nature values and report annually to the Dutch government. Also in the Rijksprojectbesluit it is determined that the Commission for Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), as the independent auditor, will annually advise the responsible ministers on the EIA-report. This is the 2010 recommendation of the Audit Committee for exploitation of natural gas in the Wadden Sea.