The arrival of new nuclear power stations in the Netherlands is already being delayed. The Ministry of Climate and Green Growth is investigating more possible locations for the nuclear power plants, including Eemshaven and Terneuzen. As a result, a decision takes longer.
The previous government designated Borssele in Zeeland as the preferred location for the two new nuclear power stations, where they will be located next to the current nuclear power plant from 1973 could be. Three construction companies have carried out feasibility studies on this. The results will be announced in early 2025. The municipality of Borssele has already said that the two new power stations may not fall outside the Sloe port area. The Maasvlakte is also officially still in the picture as a location.
New possible locations
Three additional locations have emerged that the cabinet is now investigating further: Eemshaven, Terneuzen and the Second Maasvlakte. Because these new studies take more time, the government believes it will no longer be possible to choose a location in the second quarter of 2025. This is what a spokesperson for Minister Sophie Hermans told NRC. It is uncertain whether the decision will even be made in 2025.
Stable source of energy
The new nuclear power stations must provide a CO2-free source of energy, in addition to wind turbines and solar panels. According to the government, nuclear energy has the advantage that it is stable, while solar energy and wind energy are not always available.
Each new power station must have a capacity of 1,600 megawatts, three times more than the current power station in Borssele. Later, the government wants to have two more large nuclear power stations built in our country.
Smaller nuclear reactors, so-called small modular reactors (SMRs), are also being considered, for example in industrial areas. Large American tech companies also want to use SMRs in their own country in the coming years to supply electricity to their data centers, which require increasingly more energy.
Eemshaven
According to NRC, the government is still trying to avoid the obligation to conduct further research into a location near Eemshaven. There is great resistance in the region to the arrival of a nuclear power plant, after Groningen had suffered for years from damage caused by earthquakes following gas extraction.
However, all reasonable alternatives must be seriously examined, otherwise a final decision will not be legally valid.
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Source: www.bright.nl
