If the four major right-wing parties form a coalition together, the energy transition could be delayed. Grid operator Tennet, the state-owned company that manages the national high-voltage grid, warns about this.
“I’m worried, I fear that we are losing momentum,” says chairman Manon van Beek News hour. “We are moving towards a CO2-free future and then uncertainty and zigzag policies will not help.”
‘All measures through the shredder’
Election winner PVV wants to abolish almost all climate policy. “All climate measures go directly through the shredder,” it says election manifesto. That could be difficult, because the Netherlands is bound by international agreements on CO2 reduction. A new government may decide to significantly strip down the 35 billion euro Climate Fund.
The intended coalition partners BBB and NSC are also critical of current climate policy, but fully endorse the Paris climate agreement. “The Netherlands must make every effort to achieve these goals, but we do so with common sense,” the BBB writes. The question is whether the VVD will participate in a new cabinet, but that party also wants to continue with the climate policy it has implemented.
The big question is therefore which compromise a right-wing coalition will arrive at. If the new cabinet puts on the brakes, this could quickly have major consequences, Van Beek warns. Wind turbine builders want “100 percent clarity for about ten years” about plans for new wind farms. “Otherwise they go to the US, for example, and then you have a problem.”
Without these additional wind farms, part of the Dutch industry cannot become more sustainable. Many companies are currently switching to electricity as an energy source, partly due to the high gas price as a result of the war in Ukraine.
Overloaded power grid
Meanwhile, the electricity grid is becoming overloaded in more and more places. The demand for space on the power grid is growing faster than new connections can be made. There are 6,600 companies on the waiting list to purchase electricity.
This overload is also the result of the increase in solar and wind energy. For example, during sunny moments there is more power supply than the grid can handle. But according to Van Beek, the solution is not to invest less in green energy. “We need to get into gear with the electricity infrastructure.” Tennet is therefore investing 4 billion euros this year, 6 billion next year and 8 billion euros per year from 2025.
The Tennet CEO also advocates more attention for people “who get such a high-voltage pylon in their backyard”. The government, she believes, should explain to people “with a small wallet” why their energy bills are often high and take measures against it. “It is incredibly important that we make homes more sustainable and insulated for all people in the Netherlands.”
A right-wing cabinet seems likely, but nothing is certain at the moment. Before the elections, Nieuwsuur investigated what the political parties have in terms of climate plans:
2023-11-30 22:25:33
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