The one part of the Dutch energy transition that is moving forward at great speed is the decarbonization of electricity: we& #39;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& #39;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& #39;s extremely unlikely that a new nuclear power plant will get built here; just look at the resounding & #39;no& #39; from major energy companies. But others will have to spend time explaining why it& #39;s a bad idea, and we won& #39;t be working on the real issues. We don& #39;t have time for this.

Globally, just 2.4 GW of new nuclear generation capacity came online last year. That& #39;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/">https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/09/2...