The Netherlands and Germany start developing a new gas field in the North Sea

British regulators gave final approval to the development of a new gas field in the North Sea on Wednesday, June 1, which will be developed by the Netherlands and Germany. Earlier, Gazprom stopped gas supplies to the largest gas trader in the Netherlands due to its refusal to pay under the new scheme.

According to the agency, Amsterdam issued permits for the development of a new field off the coast of the North Sea on the border with Germany. However, the Dutch government said that permission from the German authorities to drill in the region has not yet been received.

British Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Minister Kwasi Kwarteng said UK regulators have approved a new gas field being developed by Shell called the Jackdaw. The field, according to preliminary estimates, contains up to 60 billion cubic meters of gas.

“We are working on renewable energy, including nuclear, but now we are also realistic about our energy needs. Let’s get more of the gas we need from British waters to protect energy security,” Mr. Kwarteng tweeted.

German authorities could not be contacted for comment by AP. If the joint project is approved, the first batches of gas could be produced by the end of 2024, the Dutch government stated.

The Netherlands consumes 40 billion cubic meters of gas per year, and Germany – 90 billion cubic meters. Russia covered about 15% of the needs of the Netherlands in gas. On Tuesday, May 31, Gazprom announced the cessation of gas supply to the Dutch trader GasTerra, as well as several other European customers, due to their refusal to pay in rubles. On April 1, Russian President Vladimir Putin instructed Russian President Vladimir Putin to transfer payment for gas into rubles for unfriendly countries.