The Dutch Government has told electricity producer Vattenfall to close its 650MW coal-fired Hemweg-8 plant in Amsterdam by the end of this year.
This announcement by the government is part of its strategy to meet the ‘Urgenda target’ of 25% carbon dioxide reduction by 2020.
The ‘Urgenda target’ comes from a case filed by the Urgenda Foundation against the Dutch government. The District Court of The Hague ruled in favour of Urgenda, requiring the government to take drastic steps to reduce emissions.
In May 2018, the Dutch Government had presented a bill to phase out the use of coal in energy production by 2029. Under this bill, Vattenfall was given until the end of 2024 before the Hemweg power station was expected to close its operations.
Vattenfall had adjusted its plans by undertaking some additional investments so the facility could remain operational. It says that the early closure of the 650MW coal-fired plant will have major consequences for its production in the Netherlands and its employees.
In a statement, the company said: “Exploratory talks have been held between the government and Vattenfall. The Dutch Government has indicated that the level of the compensation for losses will be discussed further in the coming period. Vattenfall has confidence in a good outcome of those discussions.”
