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Dutch government launches ambitious climate and wind energy package
The coalition government took office nine months ago. Now they have agreed to cut CO2 emissions from the Netherlands by at least 55%-60% by 2030 (compared to 1990) – and by 70% by 2035 and 80% by 2040. These cuts entail substantial growth of the share of electricity in the energy mix especially energy based on wind. They prioritse offshore wind. Previously the country had 2.9GW offshore wind and was aiming for 11.5GW by 2030, but it is now considering raising that to 22GW. The Infrastructure Ministry is examining new zones in the North Sea that would provide space for 17 GW of new capacity.
One of the main challenges will be connecting all this offshore wind capacity to the onshore grid. The government will have to work out quickly how to tackle this given the long time it takes to plan and build new grid infrastructure. They also need to focus on expanding electricity demand by stimulating the electrification of energy intensive industry.
Source: Wind Europe, 13 January 2022, https://windeurope.org/newsroom/news/new-dutch-government-is-seriously-a...