Amid Russian cuts to gas supply, the Netherlands removes the cap on coal-fired power production and now runs its stations at full capacity again.
The Netherlands has joined other European countries, such as Germany and Austria, in reverting to coal power in response to Russian gas cuts, reports Bloomberg.
As gas prices continue to soar, the Dutch cabinet sets in place a coal-fired crisis plan to prevent houses from staying cold during the upcoming winter.
Coal-fired crisis plan
The limit on coal-fired power production was only set in place on January 1, 2022, as the Netherlands aimed to end the manufacturing of the widely-polluting fossil fuel by 2030.
Rob Jetten, Minister for Climate and Energy policy, tells RTL Nieuws: “The risk of doing nothing has become too great. That is why we intervene.”
Up until now, the Netherlands’ three coal-fired power plants were legally only allowed to produce within a maximum of 35% of their capacity, in order to limit CO2 emissions.
As they’re now able to run at full power again, the Netherlands is faced with an impediment to their future sustainable goals.
Groningen’s gas field
The gas field in Groningen has gone through many controversies after causing hundreds of earthquakes and damage to nearby towns due to drilling.
As the gas field is still set to close in October 2023, it is highly unlikely that it will reopen again amid this gas shortage due to safety reasons.
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