Dutch government delays decision on location of new nuclear power plants

The decision that will determine the locations of two new nuclear power plants in the Netherlands is being delayed, confirmed a spokesperson for Climate Minister Sophie Hermans. It is uncertain whether a decision will be made in 2025, the spokesperson said in response to an initial report by NRC.

This will likely wind up delaying the construction of the power plants entirely. The duration of the potential delay is also unknown, as the Ministry of Climate and Green Growth plans to investigate more possible locations for the nuclear power plants than previously thought, NRC reported.

Originally, only two sites were considered suitable areas for new nuclear plants. The first is the Eerste Maasvlakte section at the Port of Rotterdam, and the second is Borssele, Zeeland, where the only functioning nuclear plant in the Netherlands is currently situated.

The previous Cabinet designated Borssele in Zeeland as the preferred location for the two new nuclear power plants. But Terneuzen, Eemshaven, and the Tweede Maasvlakte at the Rotterdam port have been added as candidate destinations since September. The current Cabinet wants Eemshaven to be scratched from the list, as does the province of Groningen, but the ministry is legally obliged to include that location in the study.

Regardless, the three new areas are an “important factor” in the postponement of the decision on the location of the nuclear power plants, according to the spokesperson. The government is now also working on the development of four nuclear power plants instead of two, but these two additional plants are not yet part of this review process.

Three multinational construction firms have already completed a feasibility study to determine if they can complete such plants at Borssele based on the previous Cabinet’s decision. Those conclusions are currently under review by an independent agency, NRC reported.

In any case, it is “no longer feasible” for the Cabinet to make its final decision in the second quarter of 2025, a spokesperson for Hermans told NRC. It is not yet known if a decision can even be announced by the end of the year.