It is wise for the cabinet to do everything possible to guarantee the gas supply for next winter, and not wait until it is too late. You can’t imagine that, in the worst-case scenario, hospitals or households will be left out in the cold. It is hard to find a solution to this problem in the short term by making polluting coal-fired power stations run faster. That is a big step back on the road to a more sustainable energy supply.
None other than Rob Jetten (D66), who has been promoting the closure of the coal-fired power stations for years because of their high CO2emissions, as Minister of Climate, had to explain the difficult decision of the cabinet on Monday. At the beginning of this year, a brake had been put on the coal-fired power stations; they were only running at 35 percent of their maximum capacity. The cabinet now wants to let them run at full capacity again to produce electricity, so that gas-fired power stations can be reduced to a minimum. The gas thus saved can be stored underground. Those gas storage facilities are not yet full enough to get through the cold months.
It is not clear whether other, less environmentally unfriendly solutions could also have been envisaged. But even Marjan Minnesma of Urgenda, the foundation that forced the state through the courts to take drastic climate measures, currently sees making the coal-fired power stations run faster as an inevitable decision. That’s saying something.
Also read: Coal plants at full capacity to save gas: ‘Every cubic meter counts’
It is certain that the Netherlands has a problem now that Russia has stopped supplying gas, because the Dutch gas importer Gasterra did not want to pay with rubles. The cabinet is showing that it is willing to pay a price for aid to Ukraine, and that deserves praise in any case.
The cabinet emphasized that there is no acute gas shortage, but states that the first phase of a gas crisis is occurring. This alarming choice of words must justify the cabinet’s strengthening of its grip on the gas companies, according to a so-called ‘Gas Protection and Recovery Plan’. In addition, companies that use a lot of gas are encouraged to save gas with financial incentives. Citizens are asked to contribute by turning off the air conditioning, insulating the house and taking shorter showers. That sounds like small beer, but “every cubic meter of gas counts,” said Jetten.
State Secretary Hans Vijlbrief (D66, Mining) explained on Monday which emergency scenario the cabinet wants to prevent: that extra gas must be pumped up from Groningen again, at the expense of the safety of the residents. It is precisely the intention that that large gas field will be completely closed in 2023 or 2024. But because nothing can be ruled out at the moment, gas extraction will remain on the pilot light for the time being. That’s wry, but it also shows realism.
Although Vijlbrief does not want to make the people of Groningen uneasy, he must recognize that the worst scenario is indeed conceivable. This threatens not only if Dutch hospitals or households are left out in the cold, but also if this occurs in Germany, Belgium or Ireland. Germany, which is heavily dependent on Russian gas, already announced on Sunday that it will speed up its coal-fired power stations because of the gas supply from Russia.
Also read an interview with Vijlbrief: I will not enter into the discussion about increasing gas extraction
The cabinet had set aside 1.9 billion euros to compensate the coal-fired power stations for reducing their capacity. Let the government now use this money for sustainability. So that the coal-fired power stations can really shut down in the long run, and the gas tap in Groningen can be closed.
A version of this article also appeared in the newspaper of June 23, 2022