The Netherlands must accelerate energy transition, ‘will be fifteen difficult years’

The Netherlands must accelerate the energy transition, write energy experts Lucia van Geuns and Jilles van den Beukel. With this ‘flight forward’, the Netherlands can avoid vulnerability to fossil fuels. And in 15 years’ time we will have a head start in terms of knowledge and infrastructure. “The next ten to fifteen years will be difficult, but there are opportunities if the relationship between industry and government is repaired.”

The report, which will be published on Monday and was written on behalf of the Dutch Association of Sustainable Energy, Gasunie, the Dutch chemical industry and VNO-NCW, explores the extent to which the Netherlands can become less vulnerable and less dependent on energy by accelerating the energy transition. fossil fuels. According to Van Geuns, an important condition is the restoration of the relationship between industry and government, a relationship that has been very difficult for a long time.

Also read | 6 million for water and table salt as a source of sustainable energy storage

Clarity

Clarity from the government to the industry is crucial, according to Van Geuns, affiliated with the The Hague Center for Strategic Studies. Which industry do we want in the Netherlands and which not? She points out how well positioned the Dutch economy is in terms of existing infrastructure and ports, but emphasizes that these are largely fossil-based. Important questions are: How are we going to make the transition to a sustainable energy system and is it made clear to the industry what is expected of it? ‘What do we want to keep and what do we want to get rid of in the longer term?’ When the industry also knows where it stands, it can invest and divest in a targeted and longer-term manner.

Also read | ‘Emergency law necessary to ensure energy transition runs smoothly’

Triple jump with hydrogen

Van Geuns illustrates that such a transition can take place in phases using the ‘hydrogen triple jump’. Ultimately, everyone wants to work with green hydrogen, but blue hydrogen can be ‘a very good intermediate phase’, in which the Netherlands takes a lead that can be cashed in when European economies switch to green hydrogen: ‘That we can improve the infrastructure and actually all the have a market.’

Also read | Shell still refuses to comply with imposed emissions reductions

Damn

Van Geuns therefore argues that issues such as the capture and storage of CO2 and blue hydrogen should not be ignored, but invested in them. And that requires cooperation between industry and government, the latter can mainly play a facilitating role, for example in granting permits. According to Van Geuns, it also requires mental concessions from, for example, the environmental movement. ‘Let’s hope that NGOs in particular will see that this accelerates the energy transition and that going to court often slows things down. They have to learn to understand that too.’

BNR’s Big Five | Listen to the entire episode

Difficult

Van Geuns acknowledges that the first ten to fifteen years will be difficult, but believes that the Netherlands can be competitive in the rest of the world in the longer term. ‘The word pragmatism is very important in this. That means that we (…) sometimes just have to push things through. You can talk about anything for a long time, but at some point things just have to happen.’ However, that is easier said than done, it takes courage from politicians to dare to push things through.