Thom's story
Energy developments in the Wadden Sea area, an informative and artistic perspective on a tiring fight for self-sufficiency
More info can be attained at Frans Sijtsma or Wander Jager at the University of Groningen (f.j.sijtsma@rug.nl or w.jager.nl)
Context
Thom Verheul is citizen of the Dutch Wadden Sea Island Schiermonnikoog and a member of Horizon Schiermonnikoog, a group of active citizens working on maintaining and improving the quality of nature on and around Schiermonnikoog. Thom has actively engaged in the island energy transition for the last eight years, encountering many challenges in the process towards an energy neutral island.
Recently new challenges have risen on the horizon for Thom and his group: plans of drilling for gas (North Sea, North Schiermonnikoog) and the installation of a 24 cm wide power cable below the island and Wadden Sea surface, to move electricity from a planned wind park at the North Sea to the mainland.
Video: Schiermonnikoog van Boven by Kay van de Linde
The energy transition on Schiermonnikoog has been a slow and lengthy process. Thom points out how this is a result from social, political and economical challenges and not from technical ones. He recalls multiple examples of how the local energy cooperative (Energiecoöperatie Schiermonnikoog De Sintrale) has struggled for years in their quest to make the island self-sufficient in terms of energy. Whilst many of the local inhabitants support the energy cooperative, the struggle mainly plays out with larger organisations on the island, such as the local water board (Waterschap), the drinking water company (Vitens), housing organisation (WoonFriesland) and Schiermonnikoog municipality. All the individual organisations support the idea of sustainability however, seemingly do not wish to actively facilitate or participate in the energy transition on the island. They have slowed down the transition process with arguments such as “too expensive” and “not our core business”, to “solar panels on an old dike are ugly” and “we can not insure panels in a public place (dike)”. None of the arguments are false or absurd according to the author's perceptions, however it does show the inability of individual organisations to overcome these arguments and collaborate with the local community towards a common shared goal (sustainability). It seems that bottom-up activities, plans and ideals are being halted and demotivated by the limited interests, capabilities and sense of urgency of large private, semi-private and public organisational bodies with more ‘power’ then the energy cooperative.
While the previously described power struggle plays out mainly internally on the island - and directly with and within the island community, we observe a second, more external power struggle on the North horizon of Schiermonnikoog. Here, plans have been developed to install a power cable from a wind park at sea towards the mainland. Opponents fear desastreus effects for unique nature values on the island and at sea. Also, the stability of the dunes running from East to West is questionable after cable installation. Another plan entails the drilling of gas in the North Sea North of Schiermonnikoog. Also here, detrimental effects on sea wildlife are expected by disturbance and discharging thousands of litres of polluted water in the sea on a daily basis. In both plans, the municipality acts as an ally of the local island community, both fighting against the plans.
To summarize, fighting internal power battles for sustainable and local energy production and external power struggles against proposed plans for power cables and gas drilling have frustrated and demotivated Thom and his group.
REPO: Stille tocht tegen gaswinning Schiermonnikoog
In their quest for an energy neutral island, Thom and his group are being halted and slowed down by larger organisational bodies on the island. The organisational bodies have theoretically the capacity and power to act, but choose not to facilitate or participate. Surprisingly, practices considered ‘unsustainable’ (drilling for gas) or ‘detrimental to important nature values’ (drilling & power cables) gained free pass so far, by organisational bodies.
One central theme arises from this contextual introduction:
“The power struggle between individuals and large governmental and corporate interests”.
An interactive map
In the following interactive map tour, supported by discussion and visualisations, we reflect on this bottom-up vs. top-down ‘power struggle’ conflict. Secondly, we draw parallels with existing art in the Wadden Sea region (Han Jansen) and point out how conflicts such as these are addressed in awareness art projects (Sissel Marie Tonn).
Wind energy park
Like the nearby windparks Gemini 1 & 2, the governement of the Netherlands plans a new windpark about 56 km (30.2 seamile) above the island Shiermonnikoog. With a total surface of 120 km², the park would provide 700 MW of electricity, a big step towards our increasing energy demand.
The Governement (The Hague)
In the city of The Hague (in Dutch Den Haag) the impact studies were designed, the plans were layed out and the tender is organised for the new windpark. Far from the island and it's inhabitants.
The Cable and The Canal
To transport the electricity from the new windpark to the mainland, a 24 cm wide cable will be placed underneath the island. Because of the unique tidal regime, ships can only work partially, a 50 meter wide canal through the island would solve this, but to what consequence?
Unesco World Heritage
The Wadden Sea is the largest unbroken area of intertidal sand and mud flats in the world. Designated as Unesco World Heritage the cable would pass through the Dutch Wadden Sea Conservation Area and the National Park Schiermonnikoog.
The Wadden area host around 5,000 species of fauna and flora, and 30 species of breeding birds. An average of 10 - 12 milion migratory birds pass through every year. It's forms an important site for the East Atlantic Flyway and plays a critical role in the conservation of African-Eurasian migratory waterbirds.
Schiermonnikoog is especially popular with birds because there is much to eat. Large amounts of worms, shells, shrimps and crabs can be found on the mudflats. One of the most prominent bird species on Schiermonnikoog is the spoonbill. In february the bird flies back from Mauritanie (Africa) and stops in the Wadden area to eat and restore it's energy.
As ecologist Tjisse van der Heide states, the cable would run right through the resting and moulting areas of hundreds of spoonbills.
An artistic impression
Human intrusion of the landscape has been a topic for many contemporary artists. We look back at two artists with a different impression on the landscape, Han Jansen and Sissel Marie Tonn.
Han Jansen painted with the landscape, by adding different colours, he highlights the natural dynamics of the Wadden sea region. His style of painting received public attention and was condemned to be hazardous rather than artistic.
Han Jansen - Groninger Wad (1980)
Han Jansen made pollution visible to the public eye, a process which at that time, often escaped the eye. Nature organisations filed charges against him to forbid him to spray paint in the Wadden Sea. The lawsuit resulted in a media debate which increased attention to chemical pollution and to this unique nature area. One can ask why this relatively small gesture of pollution was attacked so harshly by nature organisations, whilst large industrial polluters could walk freely.
We see parallels with Thom’s story, in the sense that Thom and his group are hindered on the path to sustainability, whilst damage to nature and environment will be small. However, large energy companies can continue harmful activities ín the Wadden Sea. Almost four decades since Han’s ‘sea painting’ project, drilling companies like ONE-Dyas can legally dump over a thousand liter of polluted water daily, into the North Sea.
Sissel Marie Tonn - The Intimate Earthquake Archive (2016)
With the installation “The Intimate Earthquake Archive” by artist Sissel Marie Tonn and composer Jonathan Reus the audience experiences the subtle or intense vibrations by a man-made earthquake through a tactile-sonic vest.
In doing so, the audience has the opportunity to reflect on the geological changes and social inequalities caused by decades of intense gas drilling in one of the largest natural gas fields in Europe – the Groningen Gas Field.
Video: Groningen Earthquakes 1987 - 2020
In relation to Thom’s story, this intimate installation provides the opportunity to feel or experience the impact of energy developments on your wellbeing. As people tend to have a high risk perception regarding their own health, they can thus reflect on future energy development. In this sense, Sissel Marie Tonn’s art highlights a possibly unhealthy future.
Thank you for reading.
We hope this informative and artistic story helped shape your understanding of social dynamics in energy developments.
Sources:
De Sintrale, Over Ons, https://www.desintrale.frl/about-us
Nationaal Park Schiermonnikoog, Planten en Dieren, https://www.np-schiermonnikoog.nl/over-het-park/natuur/planten-en-dieren.htm
NIOZ, “SIBES and Wadden Mosaic show powerline Wadden Sea planned straight through biodiversity hotspots”, 2021, https://www.nioz.nl/en/news/sibes-and-wadden-mosaic-show-powerline-wadden-sea-planned-straight-through-biodiversity-hotspots
NOS, “Protest tegen stroomkabel dwars door Schiermonnikoog groeit”, 2021, https://nos.nl/artikel/2379975-protest-tegen-stroomkabel-dwars-door-schiermonnikoog-groeit
Omrop Fryslân, "Schiermonnikoog energieneutraal maken is een heel karwei", 2017, https://www.omropfryslan.nl/nieuws/777208-schiermonnikoog-energieneutraal-maken-een-heel-karwei
Omrop Fryslân, “REPO: Stille tocht tegen gaswinning”, 2019, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64sBo19LJdw
Omrop Fryslân, “Schiermonnikoog is in de ban van stroomkabels: 'Laatste woord nog niet gesproken”, 2021, https://www.omropfryslan.nl/nieuws/1057505-schiermonnikoog-de-ban-van-stroomkabels-laatste-woord-nog-niet-gesproken
Omrop Fryslân, “Hoogleraren kritisch op stroomkabel door Schiermonnikoog”, 2021, https://www.omropfryslan.nl/nieuws/1051290-hoogleraren-kritisch-op-stroomkabel-door-schiermonnikoog
Provincie Friesland, “Brief aan de Vaste Kamercommissie EZK over gasboring en lozing Noordzee bij Schiermonnikoog”, 2021, https://www.fryslan.frl/_flysystem/media/actualiteit-brief-ds-brief-aan-de-vaste-kamercommissie-ezk-over-gasboring-en-lozing-noordzee-bij-schiermonnikoog.pdf
Rijksdienst Voor Ondernemend Nederland, “Windenergiegebied Ten noorden van de Waddeneilanden”, 2021, https://www.rvo.nl/onderwerpen/duurzaam-ondernemen/duurzame-energie-opwekken/windenergie-op-zee/windenergiegebied-ten-noorden-van-de-waddeneilanden
Rob Buiter, “Stroomkabel voor windmolenpark raakt werelderfgoed Waddenzee in het hart”, 2021, Trouw, https://www.trouw.nl/duurzaamheid-natuur/stroomkabel-voor-windmolenpark-raakt-werelderfgoed-waddenzee-in-het-hart~b5628d3d/
Sissel Marie Tonn, 2016, “The Intimate Earthquake Archive”, https://sisselmarietonn.com/
