The Green Left party is pressing for a debate in parliament on controversial plans by Shell and the government to store carbon dioxide beneath the town of Barendrecht.

The government claims that the CO2 storage would be completely safe. But at the weekend, in the public service current affairs TV programme Zembla, critical scientists voiced concerns that the scheme could indeed pose a safety risk.

Shell plans to store CO2 emitted by its Pernis oil refinery in empty gas fields under a nearby residential neighbourhood in Barendrecht, just south of Rotterdam. Supporters argue that underground greenhouse gas storage could be a key measure to tackle global warming. But the Barendrecht experiment has met with fierce local opposition. In this weekend’s documentary, a Shell spokesman admitted that the company saw the Barendrecht experiment as a public opinion test case.

Local politicians and campaigners are furious because they claim the government is forcing the scheme through using a legal shortcut. Two weeks ago it became apparent that legislation to hurry through major public works as a crisis measure to boost the economy would also apply to the Barendrecht CO2 storage scheme. The new law will prevent Barendrecht town council from going to court to block the CO2 storage plan.

Green Left says the small-scale CO2 storage experiment shouldn’t go ahead unless its safety has been proven beyond doubt. Because carbon dioxide is heavier than air, if it were to leak it could settle in the low-lying neighbourhood and build up to toxic levels.

Earlier this year, the coalition Christian Democrats, Labour Party and Christian Union voted in favour of the plan, along with the opposition D66. But Green Left says the current caretaker cabinet should leave a decision on the scheme to the next government, after the 9 June elections.

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