No decision on closing Dutch coal plants expected this year

The government will not make a decision this year on closing the coal plants in the Netherlands, sources in The Hague told news wire ANP. This is expected to annoy parliament, who wants Minister Henk Kamp of Economic Affairs to make haste with the closure of the plants.

The Tweede Kamer, the lower house of Dutch parliament, asked Kamp to com up with proposals on steadily closing the plants before the end of the year. But according to the ANP sources, that will not happen. The Council of Ministers is meeting for the last time this year on Friday, and the coal plants are not on the agenda, according to the news wire.

The closure of the coal plants has been a frequent topic of discussion since a group of scientists called on the government to close all coal plants in November last year. Many environmental organizations agree that closing the coal plants is the easiest way to reach the targets set in the Paris Climate Agreement.