EPZ Welcomes The Dutch Government’s New Steps Forward On NPPs

EPZ (ENS Corporate Member), the Dutch power company operating the Borssele nuclear power plant, welcomes the steps forward made by the country’s government to build new nuclear power plants in the Netherlands, and to extend the operating life of the existing plant.

Last week, the Dutch government announced the selection of the existing Borssele site as a preferred location for a proposed construction of two new nuclear power reactor units.

The government also confirmed that Borssele has “sufficient space” for new build and houses existing infrastructure, including a radioactive waste repository run by COVRA.

According to the cabinet statement, the units should be deployed by 2035, have each a capacity between 1,000 MW and 1,650 MW, and use a Generation III+ reactor technology. Once operational, the new NPPs can supply 9-13% of the country’s total electricity.

The government said it would also begin a legislative process to allow the operating lifetime extension of the existing Borssele unit beyond 2033, a final date set by the local Nuclear Energy Act currently in force.

Read more on NucNet.

EPZ considers the construction of two new nuclear power plants and the extension of the operating life of the current nuclear power plant important for the energy transition.

Nuclear energy contributes to achieving the climate goals and meets the ever-increasing demand for electricity. Moreover, nuclear energy makes the energy supply less dependent on fossil sources such as gas and coal.

EPZ concludes in its Press Release.