Europe’s gas goes green: North Sea offshore wind-powered project earns top methane rating

February 11, 2026, by Melisa Cavcic

Marking a new era for low-methane gas in Europe, a Dutch-German gas development, which runs on offshore wind energy, has become the first natural gas production project in the North Sea to be independently certified as meeting the highest grade under MiQ’s methane emissions standard.

A North Sea platform — Platform N05-A in North Sea; Source: ONE-Dyas

The N05-A gas development, operated by the Netherlands-based ONE-Dyas, with EBN and Tenaz Energy as its partners, celebrated in December 2025 the completion of the cable connection between the platform, located about 20 kilometers north of the islands of Borkum, Rottumerplaat, and Schiermonnikoog, in the Dutch sector of the North Sea, and the Riffgat offshore wind farm in Germany. This is being used to produce natural gas.

As a result, Europe’s transition to offshore gas production with lower methane emissions has reached a new milestone, as N05-A has turned into the North Sea’s first ‘Grade A’ methane-certified gas project, thanks to a MiQ Grade A rating, following an independent audit of its operational practices and measured methane emissions data by Intertek, a global player in total quality assurance.

“This certification sets a new benchmark for lower-emissions gas production in Europe. MiQ provides a transparent, rigorous, data-driven grading system to assess natural gas based on methane performance, which helps drive regulatory compliance, incentivize continuous improvement, and demonstrate transparency around upstream methane emissions,” explained MiQ.

Intertek’s independent audit verified the N05-A project’s emissions data and the systems in place to manage methane as an accredited MiQ auditor. The methane emissions performance standard, which is based on a comprehensive and transparent assessment of operational practices and emissions performance, is already adopted by multiple producers, including BP, ExxonMobil, Repsol, and EQT in the United States.

North Sea green shift at play: Dutch gas platform plugs into German offshore wind power

Exploration & Production

As the offtaker for this project, BP will market ONE-Dyas’ certified gas, targeting large gas buyers such as utilities and industrials. The N05-A development is deemed to be the first gas installation in the Dutch and German North Sea to be fully powered by renewable electricity, which is supplied via a nine-kilometer subsea power cable from the EWE-operated Riffgat offshore wind farm.

Georges Tijbosch, Chief Executive Officer of MiQ, highlighted: “The certification of N05-A highlights how innovative design and best-in-class operational practices can deliver meaningful methane emissions reductions. MiQ’s independent assessments provide governments, regulators, and end-users with trusted data that supports accountability and continuous improvement across the energy sector.”

While the installation is said to significantly reduce operational greenhouse gas emissions to near-zero by eliminating combustion-based power generation, avoiding the use of gas-driven equipment is perceived to eliminate methane slip and reduce venting and leaks, further lowering methane emissions.

Chris de Ruyter van Steveninck, CEO of ONE-Dyas, emphasized: “With N05-A, we are not only delivering high-grade certification, we give customers verifiable assurance that this gas is produced with exceptionally low emissions. The mobile jack-up rig is also powered by that same energy source, to ensure electrified drilling.

“By combining innovative design with renewable power from the Riffgat wind farm, we demonstrate that domestic energy security and climate responsibility can go hand in hand. This certified gas shows what the future of cleaner, transparent and accountable gas production looks like in the energy transition.”

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The N05-A project forms part of the GEMS area in the North Sea, which is estimated to hold up to 50 billion cubic meters of Dutch and German natural gas potential. Given it met the rigorous standards of MiQ certification, ONE-Dyas has ensured that customers in the Netherlands and Germany can source gas with low methane environmental credentials.