Completely phasing out dependence on Russian energy such as gas and coal is not an easy task, the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate (EZK) acknowledges. Not for the Netherlands and certainly not for the European Union. The ministry cannot give guarantees that the Netherlands will not face a cold or unaffordable winter.
“Nobody knows what the (price) developments will look like in the coming months. The national government is preparing for various scenarios, including the most negative,” says a spokesperson for EZK.
Yet the ministry is less gloomy than Shell CEO Ben van Beurden. He argues that the government is far too optimistic about the availability and affordability of LNG as an alternative to Russian gas.
The government plans for significant energy savings and the use of energy from sun and wind will also be insufficient to meet the energy demand in an energy boycott against Russia, the CEO warns.
He predicts continued high import prices for power plants and high electricity tariffs for Dutch consumers, he says.
Becoming independent from Russian energy
The ministry agrees with Van Beurden that it is a “major challenge” to become independent from Russian energy. “The aim is to achieve independence from Russian energy, including gas, by the end of the year through supply and demand measures. Importing LNG is part of this, but not the whole solution. Security of supply has the full attention of the cabinet,” said a spokesperson for the ministry.
Dependence on Russian energy will be reduced as soon as possible, as has been agreed in a European context. If Russia turns off the gas tap before Europe has an alternative, countries including the Netherlands “will probably activate their emergency plan in the long run”. That is the gas protection and recovery plan for the Netherlands.