No’ to new Dutch nuclear plants before 2011
No new Dutch nuclear plants are envisaged before 2011, according to the Dutch environment minister, after multi-utility Delta announced that it had kick started the licensing procedure in preparation for the construction of the country’s second nuclear plant.
A spokeswoman from the ministry confirmed remarks made by environment minister, Jacqueline Cramer in the Dutch media that the Netherlands’ coalition government would make no decision on new nuclear build in this electoral term. This means a decision is unlikely to be made before 2011, since the current administration is only a year and a half into a four-year term.
Delta said it would still be preparing an Environmental Effect Report, with a memorandum examining the implications for any new build completed by the end of this year.
However, due to the complicated nature of new nuclear build in the heavily populated Netherlands, any review process would take “several years”, the Dutch environment ministry VROM told ICIS Heren.
Delta said it aimed to build at least one new nuclear plant near an existing site in Borssele, owned by EPZ, in which Essent Energie and Delta Energie are partners on a 50/50 basis.
The company said that based on a construction time of around four and a half years, a plant could be operational by the end of 2016. Capacity was expected to be between 1,000 and 1,600 MW per unit, with more than one plant possible, as the Borssele site is said to be suitable for some 5,000 MW in total. RS
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