The Dutch state rather than private companies should be responsible for building and running two new nuclear power stations which have been planned for the Zeeland town of Borssele, according to the ruling VVD and CDA.

The two parties want the state to set up its own company to produce what they call CO2-free electricity for the coming decades, the Telegraaf reported on Monday.

This state-owed firm can then focus on finding private investors, such as pension funds, keeping the cost as low as possible, MPs Silvio Erkens and Henri Bontenbal told the paper.

Giving the state a major role will also enable work to start earlier, the MPs say.

‘Building new nuclear power stations demands major investment and the power stations can operate for 60 to 80 years,’ Erkens told the paper. ‘Stable government policy is crucial, given that unstable policy can lead to serious cost over-runs.’

Direct state involvement would also reduce the risk of delays, the MPs say.

Plans

Nuclear power was put back on the political agenda in the Netherlands in 2020, when MPs passed a motion calling on the government to ‘look seriously’ at the business case for building new nuclear power stations.

The new coalition government then agreed to take building two new power stations on board.

The Netherlands only has one nuclear power station at the moment – the Borssele plant in Zeeland which produces some 3% of all Dutch energy use.