Netherlands unlikely to achieve plan for new nuclear power plant by 2035
It is very unlikely that the Netherlands will have a new nuclear power plant built and operational in 2035, Climate Minister Sophie Hermans (VVD) wrote in a letter to parliament. “It no longer seems realistic to have the first plant operational in 2035,” she said, speaking of a “complex process,” NOS reports.
Nuclear power is gaining support in parliament because it produces energy without emitting CO2. However, there is still no good solution for what to do about the highly radioactive waste.
Nevertheless, the previous Rutte IV Cabinet proposed to have at least one new nuclear plant operational in 2035. The current Schoof I Cabinet wants to build four nuclear plants and keep the current plant in Borssele, Zeeland, open and operational.
But making that happen is turning out even more difficult than expected. Finding locations for new plants is difficult because no one wants a nuclear power plant in their neighborhood, especially because there is currently no way to safely dispose of the highly radioactive waste from such a plant. The Borssele waste is currently stored above ground.
The Ministry of Climate and Green Growth is looking at possible locations on the Tweede Maasvlakte near Rotterdam, near Terneuzen in Zeeland, and in Eemshaven in Groningen. Eemshaven is right in the earthquake zone created by decades of gas extraction in the Groningen province. For that reason alone, there is massive resistance to building a nuclear power plant there.
There are still “many steps” to take in the area of permits, tendering, and construction, Hermans said. And the topic of who will pay for the construction is still in the air. Considering all that, the 2035 deadline mentioned by the previous Cabinet is “very ambitious” for a project that is “unique in nature, size, impact, and social sensitivity,” the Minister said.
