Second Nuclear Plant Proposed for Netherlands

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Written by Martin Lynch, European News Editor for Industrial Info (Galway, Ireland)--Permission to build a nuclear reactor at Borssele on the southwest coast of the Netherlands is being sought by Energy Resources Holding (ERH) (Hertogenbosch, Netherlands).

ERH owns half of the energy company EPZ (Borssele), which runs the existing 485-megawatt (MW) reactor at the Borssele nuclear power station. The company has recently revealed plans to add up to 2,500 MW of new nuclear capacity. Borssele is the only nuclear power plant currently in operation in the Netherlands.

The company has submitted a detailed proposal to the government's Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment that outlines how the new plant may use a single European Pressurized Reactor, a boiling water reactor or a pair of AP1000 units from Westinghouse Electric Company LLC (Monroeville, Pennsylvania).

"New nuclear energy fits in with our view of the energy and climate challenges we in the Netherlands and Europe are facing," said Gerard Uytdewilligen, the CEO of ERH. "We have extensively explored the opportunities for new nuclear power. Now is the time to properly engage with the public to start the process leading to a permit to build a new nuclear plant."

The plan comes a year after Dutch power utility Delta NV (Middleburg, Netherlands), which owns the other half of EPZ and the Borssele nuclear facility, submitted a startup memorandum to build a new nuclear plant on the existing site. Delta is hoping to begin operations of a 1,600- to 2,500-MW plant by 2018. For additional information, see related article from July 2, 2009 - Dutch Utility Delta Seeks Permit to Build Second Nuclear Power Plant. The applications are separate.

ERH is hoping to obtain permission for the new plant and begin construction by 2014, with commissioning in 2019. The existing Borssele plant generates 4% of the country's electricity and was slated for closure in 2011 as part of the Netherlands' move away from nuclear power. However, the current Dutch government reversed the country's stance on nuclear power and extended the life of Borssele to 2034, as long the highest standard of safety procedures are implemented and both operators contribute 250 million euros ($321 million) toward renewable energy projects.

The government is open, in principle, to allowing construction of another nuclear plant, as long the plant uses Generation III nuclear technology and is located at a coastal site.

Today, the Netherlands relies heavily on gas-fired power plants, which provide more than 60% of the country's power. Renewable energy accounts for less than 10%. As part of the European Union's 2020 target to generate 20% of electricity from renewable sources, the Netherlands' target is to generate 9% of power from renewable sources this year, rising to 14% by 2020.

Earlier this month, Dutch utility Nuon (Amsterdam) announced an alliance with Siemens Energy (Erlangen, Germany) to build a 435-MW combined heat and power (CHP) plant near Amsterdam. For additional information, see September 1, 2010, article - Siemens Energy to Build Power Plant in Amsterdam. The Diemen 34 plant project follows on from a similar alliance in April in which Siemens will supply Nuon with the 435-MW Hemweg 9 combined-cycle gas turbine (CCGT) power plant in Amsterdam. For additional information, see April 21, 2010, article - Siemens Energy Awarded Turnkey Contract for Dutch Gas-Fired Power Plant.

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