The intention is for 160,000 homes to be connected to regional heating networks via the Warmtebedrijf Drenthe-Overijssel, as a replacement for natural gas. These are underground pipe networks that transport hot water to homes. This hot water comes, for example, from geothermal heat or from nearby sources, such as industrial companies or waste incinerators. About twenty percent of the houses are in Drenthe, the rest in Overijssel.
Many of the current heating networks are still owned by commercial parties, but from 2027 the law prescribes that the government must be at least fifty percent owner. Since this announcement, commercial parties have stopped new projects. While the need for heating networks is increasing because the Netherlands wants to get rid of gas.
To help municipalities with the development and financing of all these new heating networks, Overijssel and Drenthe, together with network operators and Energie Beheer Nederland, want to join forces and establish the WDO. In the past year, we investigated whether this is feasible and a draft business plan was drawn up.
The Provincial Council members today agreed that Overijssel may continue on this path. 34 members voted in favor and 3 against. However, several parties expressed some comments and concerns, especially in the area of costs.
The draft business plan shows that the construction of heating networks in Drenthe and Overijssel will require approximately 5.9 billion euros until 2050. If the government contributes, there will still be 4 billion euros in financing left, of which 3.2 billion euros will be borrowed and 800 million euros will have to come from the WCO’s own funds.
“That’s pretty much our entire budget,” says Fred Kerkhof of JA21. “Let’s tackle grid congestion first.” Other parties such as Forum for Democracy also “see nothing in this setup”. “It is a gambling game for the future,” says party leader Remco Roelofs.
According to victim Tijs de Bree, the province “will not build 5.9 billion euros tomorrow”. “Our contribution is initially 32 million euros for the first ten years. This will allow us to set up the WCO. After those ten years we will evaluate and decide whether to invest additional money.”
Further concerns concern the availability of good sources that supply heat for the heating networks. The PVV would like the province to also include nuclear reactors as an option and submitted a motion, but it was rejected. “We do not rule out any source in advance,” De Bree said earlier in the meeting. “Because the more sources, the more robust your network becomes.”
The fact that the heat must partly come from industry creates an additional risk. Waste processor Twence plays a leading role in the Overijssel plans. “The province also wants to halve the waste supply. How do we ensure that Twence receives sufficient supply?”, BBB’er Tjalle Morsink previously wondered.
Adam Bakker of Overijssel Vooruit wants further elaboration of the WDO to consider security of supply and emergency facilities. “What if a company that supplies heat goes bankrupt? Whether there is a disruption? It is not yet clear to me how the WDO will deal with this.”
In the near future, the province of Overijssel will prepare a definitive establishment together with Drenthe and the other partners. De Bree says he will clarify in a letter what the decision-making process will look like. “I also include under what conditions the WDO will invest in the construction of heating networks.”
