The Netherlands will significantly ramp up the building of offshore wind farms in coming years, doubling the planned capacity by 2030, in a bid to meet climate goals and reduce its dependence on Russian gas.

 

The government is on Friday set to announce plans for additional wind farms with a total capacity of 10.7 gigawatt (GW) to be realised by the end of the decade in the Dutch part of the North Sea, a source close to the matter said in confirmation of media reports.

 

Current plans aim at a total capacity of about 10 GW in offshore wind energy in 2030, with about 3 GW already operational or under construction following a series of tenders in recent years.

 

The government in January announced it would significantly increase spending on the energy transition and set up a fund of 35 billion euros ($39 billion) to finance projects that would help keep the transformation to a carbon neutral economy on track.

 

The additional wind power should help heavy industrial users such as chemical and steel plants switch to sustainable energy sources, for instance by using the power to produce "green" hydrogen.

 

Home to Europe's largest port and many large industries, the Netherlands is among the countries in the EU with the highest greenhouse emissions per capita.

 

Emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) increased 2% last year, after a sharp decline in 2020 which was partly the effect of COVID-19 lockdowns.

 

Emissions last year were 23.9% lower than in 1990, while the country aims for a decline of 55% by 2030. (Reuters)

 

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