The head of the International Energy Agency urged the Dutch government Monday to expand its nuclear power base, but the country's environment minister said that's not in the energy equation for now.
Nobuo Tanaka, the IEA executive director, said the Netherlands will find it tough to reach its target of slashing carbon emissions 30 percent below 1990 levels within the next dozen years without building more nuclear power stations.
We’ve made the same argument (a lot) about the most efficacious way to achieve carbon reduction. We do wonder why IEA focused on the Dutch. A look at its Web site shows it does reports (for a price) focused on individual countries and how plans shape up versus goals. IEA seems neutral on energy generators, so it isn’t recommending nuclear because that’s what it always does.
Here’s a bit more on where the Dutch are on this issue:
The cabinet has agreed that no new nuclear power plants will be built during its term, although debate about the future of nuclear power was reignited last year as Dutch utility Delta said it would apply for a permit to build a new plant [this would replace a soon-to-be-shuttered plant].
The Dutch has a coalition government with Greens a part of the mix, so that probably explains the official silence – Germany is in a holding pattern with it’s current coalition, too. It may be that this report will find use as encouragement to move forward.
The little Dutch boy. He’s even holding tulips and wearing wooden shoes. It’s not every country that has a collection of recognizable traits that can be merged into horrid tchotchkes.
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http://www.svd.se/nyheter/inrikes/artikel_2424965.svd
Here is a google translate of the article, to lazy to translate myself.
Alliance agrees on nuclear power
Published: February 5, 2009, 08.53. Last Modified: February 5, 2009, 09.17
The four nonsocialist party agree on energy policy. This means that the ban on construction of nuclear power are abolished, experiencing TT and SvD.se. A press conference held at 10.30.
The challenge is confirmed by SvD.se's source. According to TT, the deal means that new nuclear power plants may be built where there is such today and when the current has been served out.
The settlement also means that a big bet on wind power and investments in energy efficiency and renewable energy. The proposal means that it is easier and quicker to get permission to expand wind power.
According to SvD's source Center Party parliamentary group met in the morning. At 9 o'clock sat ministers in the government meeting and a press conference held in at 10.30. Nonsocialist MPs will be briefed on the deal early this morning, writes TT.
The assessment is that there arent four nonsocialist members who will vote against, which means that the proposal will go through parliament even if it is not possible to get with the Social Democrats on a block overrun settlement.
Sweden to phase out nuclear phase out policy! Construction of new reactors to be allowed when the current fleets starts to shut down due to age.
http://www.thelocal.se/17372/20090205/