Energy company Vattenfall is once again faced with a setback for the planned construction of the Netherlands’ largest biomass power plant near Diemen. The Council of State stated in a ruling on Wednesday that an environmental impact assessment is still required to investigate the effects of putting the largest wood-burning oven in the Netherlands into use.
Good news for forests and climate. Vattenfall’s environmental permit has been cancelled
Good news for forests and climate. Vattenfall’s environmental permit has been nullified,” says nitrogen fighter Johan Vollenbroek in an enthusiastic response to the decision of the highest administrative court. His environmental organization Mobilization for the Environment (MOB) lodged an appeal against the provincial permit and demanded that an environmental investigation is still required. He is right about that.
Vattenfall is less happy with the Council of State’s decision. “We are surprised and, of course, also disappointed with this ruling. We will study the ruling in the coming period and consider the next steps to be taken,” said a spokeswoman.
The new development will most likely mean another delay for the possible construction of the biomass power station at Diemen. Vattenfall already has a few gas-fired power plants there, but wants to use the combustion of wood pellets to supply heat for district heating in Amsterdam and Almere, among others.
Three thousand football fields of forest per year
This requires an awesome amount of wood, which will probably have to be cut in Baltic and North American forests. It would concern a maximum of 212 kilotons of wood pellets, which is equivalent to about three thousand football fields of forest per year, according to the MOB. Because wood combustion is labeled ‘climate neutral’ according to official calculation rules, this seems like a clean solution on paper.
For years, the national government has also promoted biomass as a climate-neutral alternative to fossil fuels. Billions of euros in subsidies have been made available and several hundred small and large biomass plants have sprung up as a result. Vattenfall has already been promised almost 400 million euros for the biomass power station at Diemen.
But thinking about the sustainability of wood burning has changed completely over the past decade. Scientists have turned against forest burning because, firstly, it does blow CO2 into the air as an additional greenhouse gas. Moreover, the massive clear-cutting of forests is crippling for all the biodiversity that is located in those nature reserves.
Vollenbroek is therefore not alone when he warns of ‘the largest Dutch forest crematorium’. Natuurmonumenten sided with MOB in lawsuits against Vattenfall. And so did the Clean Air Committee, an environmental organization that originated in the immediate vicinity of the planned plant.
According to Vollenbroek, the looming environmental risks are multifaceted: “In addition to serious damage to forests overseas and in the Baltic countries, burning wood also causes damage to Dutch nature reserves such as the Naardermeer and the Oostelijke Vechtplassen, as a result of more precipitation of nitrogen, hydrochloric acid, fluoride , dioxins and heavy metals.”
Environmental effects
One result of the ruling is that the province of North Holland will have to review whether it can issue an environmental permit. This will in any case require an in-depth environmental impact assessment. The assessment that such an environmental report would not be necessary for such a large-scale combustion plant has been overturned by the Council of State.
The attitude of the Dutch, now caretaker, cabinet is remarkable. D66 minister Rob Jetten also showed in early 2022 that he takes scientific criticism of wood burning seriously. He then decided to stop granting subsidies to new biomass projects. However, existing biomass plants could still look forward to taxpayers’ money.
Nevertheless, last year the cabinet approved another application from Vattenfall for the new power station at Diemen. The first commitment of 397 million euros in subsidy dated from 2019, but it had expired due to all the legal battles. Jetten saw no problem in pulling out his wallet again, contrary to his earlier decision not to provide financial support for new biomass projects.
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