Making coal plants sustainable better than closing them: study

The best way to deal with Dutch coal-fire power plants is not closing them, but making them more sustainable, according to a yet to be published study by Frontier Economics, which the Financieele Dagblad got its hands on.

According to the study, the CO2 emissions from the coal plants can be stored in old gas fields. And biomass can be burned in the plants. That solution is relatively cheap and saves a lot on greenhouse gasses. 

Frontier Economics looked at several different scenarios of the future of the Dutch coal plants. They concluded that making them more sustainable is the best option.

Closing the coal plants by 2020 will cost 7 billion euros, without taking into account compensation that will have to be paid to the plants' owners. Other scenarios include gradually closing the coal plants and better determining the price of CO2, according to the newspaper.