States groups in Overijssel are not yet convinced of the province’s plan to set up a heating company with Drenthe. Overijssel wants to invest 32 million euros in this over the next ten years. Coalition parties SGP and VVD are concerned about the finances.
SGP member Co Florijn said during the committee meeting that almost 6 billion euros are needed for the whole thing and that he “got a stomach ache from the business case”. VVD member Jeroen Ziel urged caution and stated that the province “should not play entrepreneur”.
Deputy Tijs de Bree assured that nothing will be decided hastily, not even about the money. “It’s about how we heat houses in the long term. We are not going to prescribe anything, municipalities have to shape it and can determine whether a neighborhood is heated electrically or via a heating network,” says De Bree. If that goes as with the installation of fiber optic in the countryside, the interest will be fine, he thinks. “Municipalities must come up with a good offer.”
Almost a year ago, Overijssel and Drenthe agreed to investigate the establishment of a joint heating company to heat homes, for example, with residual heat from a waste processing company in the area and no longer with natural gas. De Bree also indicated at the time that it is important to support municipalities where necessary.
While the VVD said it had not yet determined a definitive position, coalition partners BBB, PvdA and GroenLinks do see advantages in the arrival of the heating company of Overijssel and Drenthe. This should ensure that 160,000 homes are heated via regional heating networks. CDA, Christian Union, SP and Party for the Animals, for example, are also positive about it.
