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The one part of the Dutch energy transition that is moving forward at great speed is the decarbonization of electricity: we're on track to achieve 70-75% renewable electricity by 2030; emissions will be down by 80% compared to just a few years ago.
So what do we get, in the run-up to our March elections? A resuscitation of the old idea to build a new power plant here. Another way to produce zero emission electricity. But expensive, slow, and a poor match with rapidly growing solar and wind power in NL and all around us.
That's a risky distraction. We need full focus on emission reduction in buildings, industry, and transport. And in electricity, now a much smaller problem already: on producing flexible dispatchable power in hours with little wind and solar. E.g. with green hydrogen.
It's extremely unlikely that a new nuclear power plant will get built here; just look at the resounding 'no' from major energy companies. But others will have to spend time explaining why it's a bad idea, and we won't be working on the real issues. We don't have time for this.
Globally, just 2.4 GW of new nuclear generation capacity came online last year. That's next to nothing. Even at 8,000 full-load hours, this would only produce 19 TWh/year, or 0.08% of all electricity. Total operating capacity slightly down. https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/09/24/nuclear-power-is-now-the-most-expensive-form-of-generation-except-for-gas-peaking-plants/
