Nuclear energy in the Netherlands

The Netherlands' only commercial nuclear reactor is Borssele, which became operational in 1973 and as of 2011^[update] produces about 4% of the country’s electricity.^[1] The older Dodewaard nuclear power plant was a test reactor that later got attached to the national grid but was closed in 1997.

In 1994, the Netherlands' parliament voted to phase out nuclear power after a discussion of nuclear waste management. In 1997, the power station at Dodewaard was shut down and the government decided it was planning to end Borssele's operating license in 2003. But in 2003, with a new government in power, the shutdown was postponed to 2013.^{[citation needed]} In 2006 the government decided that Borssele would remain open until 2034, if it complied with the highest safety standards. The owners, Essent and Delta, will invest 500 million euro in sustainable energy, together with the government—money which the government claims otherwise should have been paid to the plants' owners as compensation.^{[citation needed]} After the 2010 election, the new government was open to expanding nuclear power. Both of the companies that share ownership of Borssele are proposing to build new reactors.^[2][3]

References

1. ^ "Nuclear Power in the Netherlands". World Nuclear Association (WNA). January 2011. http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/inf107.html. Retrieved 2011-02-21. 
2. ^ Orlowski, Andrew (10 February 2011). "Holland slashes carbon targets, shuns wind for nuclear". The Register. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/02/10/holland_energy_switch/. Retrieved 2011-02-21. 
3. ^ Gassmann, Michael (08 February 2011). "Energiepolitik: Holland plant strahlende Zukunft" (in German). Financial Times Deutschland. http://www.ftd.de/unternehmen/industrie/:energiepolitik-holland-plant-strahlende-zukunft/60008920.html. Retrieved 2011-02-21.