Mangelberg

A years-long battle against planned gas drilling

In Berndorf, people want to prevent drilling beforehand because of the risks.(Bild: ANDREAS TRÖSTER)

The Flachgau village of Berndorf wants to continue to prevent exploitation on the Mangelberg. It is not only the drilling itself that is causing unrest. A possible subsequent use is also a concern for the community and local residents.

Even in times of the energy transition, natural gas is a valuable raw material. And there are still undeveloped fields below the Flachgau village of Berndorf. RAG Austria AG wants to get its hands on them. The community and residents have been trying to prevent this for many years. There are various reasons for this: The water supply of an entire district appears to be at risk. For example, the water supply could be severely disrupted if boreholes were to open up new routes for the water. Then there is the issue of supply security. The company has been trying to obtain a permit for the boreholes since 2016. Three are planned in the end. In 2023, the administrative court ruled that no environmental impact assessment was necessary - to the dismay of the municipality and the affected residents. "We have lodged an appeal with the Federal Administrative Court," reports Johann Stemeseder, head of the village, adding: "Everyone in the village fears that a gas storage facility could be built after extraction."

One of the largest natural gas storage facilities in Europe is located in nearby Straßwalchen.(Bild: Tröster Andreas)

However, there is currently no procedure for this. However, the assumption is reasonable, as RAG is responsible for storing natural gas in Austria and this is also one of its main tasks.

In addition to the problems with the water, the drilling would also destroy a local recreational area in the municipality. What's more, if storage were to take place in the future, the further development of the village would be at risk because generous minimum distances from the facilities would have to be maintained. It would then no longer be possible to build housing there in the future.