Dutch province Gelderland to switch entirely to green energy next year

The province of Gelderland will only use green gas and sustainable electricity from next year, as part of a contract concluded with energy providers Greenchoice and Vattenfall, De Gelderlander reports.

The province's decision to switch to entirely green energy from next year coincides with Vattenfall's decision to stop developing biogas plants in the Netherlands.

Vatenfall does not use biomass for green energy, a spokesperson for the provider said to the newspaper. "We generate [energy] with sun, wind and to a small extent with hydropower. In Diemen, we want to convert an old plant into a biomass plant, but not for electricity. The plant will only be used for district heating in the Amsterdam region."

Biomass is considered a sustainable source of energy by the Dutch government, but the actual sustainability of biomass is increasingly being questioned.

Gelderland uses energy to power buildings and infrastructure, such as public lighting, bridges, tunnels and pumping stations.