Eemshaven still in the picture for nuclear power plants, misunderstanding in Groningen

The Cabinet is looking at the Eemshaven in Groningen as a possible location for two new nuclear power plants. Minister Sophie Hermans (Climate and Green Growth) wrote in a letter to the lower house of Dutch parliament that the Eemshaven "meets the characteristics for the establishment of nuclear power plants". According to Hermans, this means that the Cabinet "must formally consider" whether there are locations within the Groningen port area where nuclear power plants can be built.

The lower house, the province of Groningen, and the municipality of Het Hogeland, where Eemshaven is located, have previously spoken out against the arrival of a nuclear power plant in this area via motions.

Alderman Eltjo Dijkhuis of the municipality Het Hogeland is not enthusiastic about Herman's plans and does not see the future of his municipality as a location for nuclear power plants. ”The municipality believes that Eemshaven should really be taken off the table when it comes to the construction of a nuclear power plant. We have much better plans for Eemshaven and we also think: don't do this to our residents,” he told RTV Noord.

According to Hermans, the Cabinet is "aware of the sensitivities in Groningen" and is also aware of "the administrative wishes". Although the government must formally include Eemshaven in a location study, Hermans wants to "legally investigate whether and if so on what grounds" the area can still be excluded from the study. This is possible if it appears in advance that there are "spatial obstacles".

Groningen and Het Hogeland call it "inappropriate" that the Eemshaven is now in the picture, while the previous Cabinet had agreed to eliminate the location. "It seems as if the importance of the procedure is more important than the social reality in Groningen", according to the province and municipality. "We ask the minister to - in line with the fine words in the letter - explicitly exclude the Eemshaven in advance as a possible location for a new nuclear power plant."

The previous Cabinet designated Borssele - where a nuclear power plant already stands - as the preferred location for the arrival of two new plants, with the First Maasvlakte as an alternative. The new Cabinet is even aiming for four nuclear power plants. In September, Hermans reported that Terneuzen and the Second Maasvlakte will also be included in the location study.

From the 1,374 responses to the plans that the ministry received earlier this year, the Eemshaven also came up as a suggestion. According to Hermans, the sparsely populated area meets the conditions, such as the presence of a high-voltage network and sufficient cooling water and access roads for disaster control. According to the ministry, the Eemshaven should therefore in principle be investigated. If this does not happen, legal proceedings may follow in the future.