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

December 12, 2025, by Melisa Cavcic

The Netherlands-based exploration and production player ONE-Dyas, together with its partners EBN and Tenaz Energy, has tucked a new decarbonization milestone under its belt by breathing life into the first natural gas production platform in the Dutch and German sectors of the North Sea to run on offshore wind energy.

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

The cable connection between ONE-Dyas’ N05-A platform, which is located about 20 kilometers north of the islands of Borkum, Rottumerplaat, and Schiermonnikoog, in the Dutch sector of the North Sea, and the Riffgat German offshore wind farm is now complete and being used to produce natural gas.

As a result, this gas extraction platform is now considered to be the first one powered by offshore wind energy in the Dutch and German North Sea realms, representing a milestone in the energy transition momentum. Heerema Marine Contractors (HMC) completed the transport and installation of the N05-A gas platform in the North Sea, which HSM Offshore Energy constructed for ONE-Dyas.

The project went through years of preparation, several hurdles, a court-ordered temporary halt of operations due to opposition from climate activists, and a provisional ruling, which enabled the opertaor to move forward with its planned activities for the project.

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ONE-Dyas explains that the N05-A platform has been producing natural gas from a single Dutch well for several months now, but drilling of a second well will start soon. The mobile drilling unit that will be temporarily connected to the platform to drill the well has been converted to run on electric power, which is also seen as being unique in this part of the North Sea.

This enables both gas production and drilling activities to take place with minimal C02 emissions, which the operator characterizes as a breakthrough in offshore gas projects, as the platform electrification reduces greenhouse gas emissions to virtually zero.

These achievements are perceived to not only support climate targets, but also make an important contribution to the security of natural gas supply during the energy transition journey. The N05-A platform can produce two billion cubic meters (bcm) of natural gas per year, equivalent to 7% of Dutch demand and more than 2.5% of German demand.

Chris de Ruyter van Steveninck, CEO of ONE-Dyas, commented: “As long as there is demand for natural gas, we will take our responsibility together with the Dutch and German governments. The electrification of N05-A increases the sustainability of North Sea natural gas and helps to reduce our reliance on imported natural gas from countries on which we do not wish to be fully dependent.

“It is a powerful signal that the Netherlands and Germany are fully committed to local gas production in the North Sea. The volumes from N05-A and surrounding fields adjacent fields are contributing significantly to enhancing our self-sufficiency.”

The Dutch-German energy project is believed to be strategically located in the border area in the North Sea, where several small fields together contribute to a stable energy supply for the Netherlands and Germany. The potential these fields in the so-called GEMS area hold is approximately 50 bcm of natural gas.

N05-A becomes first gas production platform in Dutch and German North Sea to run on offshore wind energy

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With gas demand in 2024 being approximately 75 bcm in Germany and around 30 bcm in the Netherlands, the development of the gas fields in the GEMS area is fully aligned with Dutch and German government policy, which, during the energy transition, is committed to stimulating natural gas extraction in the North Sea and minimizing import dependency.

To this end, Germany and the Netherlands signed a bilateral agreement in August 2025 to guarantee gas supply security for residents and businesses and to contribute to a stronger European gas market.