Raad van State upholds geothermal exploration permits in Leiden

The Raad van State has rejected objections from the drinking water company Dunea and the Province of Zuid-Holland regarding geothermal exploration permits in the Leiden area. The ruling upholds four permits issued in 2021 for the Rijnland, Oude Rijn, Leiden 2, and Leiden 3 regions, which were granted to energy companies Wayland Energy and Yeager Energy.

Dunea and the province had raised concerns that searching for and extracting geothermal energy could impact groundwater and jeopardize the drinking water supply. While the Ministry initially argued that the parties were not stakeholders because the permits only allow for exploration and not actual drilling, the Raad van State ruled that the parties do have the right to object. The court noted that because these permits can eventually lead to geothermal extraction, they can indeed affect the interests of the water company and the province.