New cabinet will not go for nuclear power

There will be no new nuclear power stations built in the Netherlands for the next four years at least, news agency ANP reported on Wednesday. However, the new cabinet has no plans to force the earlier closure of the only Dutch nuclear plant at Borssele which can remain open until 2033, ANP said.


The new coalition agreement includes a 30% reduction in greenhouse gases by 2020 – which is higher than its Kyoto obligations (6% in 2010) and the EU target (20%).
The new cabinet also wants renewable energy to account for 20% of total production by 2020 and to double the current target for energy saving to 2%.
‘Our ambition is that the Netherlands takes major steps along the road to having the most sustainable and efficient energy supplies by 2020,’ the agreement said.
But while environmental groups call these targets a breakthrough, they say not enough money has been made available for them to be achieved. The agreement sets aside €500m for stimulating renewable energy and an extra €150m for extra investment in nature and the environment for the coming four years.
But Donald Pols of green lobby group Milieudefensie says in the Financieele Dagblad that the Energy Research Centre recently concluded €1.3bn is needed for energy saving alone.

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