Netherlands Nuclear Energy Profile
2008 Overview of the Country’s Facilities and Operational Policies
In the early 1960s, vast natural gas reserves were discovered in the Netherlands. Due to this large energy source, nuclear power never became a priority. In 2006, domestic nuclear power accounted for only 4% of the Dutch electricity supply. Natural gas provided 58% of electrical needs, coal 26.5% and renewable energy sources contributed 9%. The remaining electricity is imported, including a small amount generated by foreign nuclear facilities.
The Dutch government did investigate nuclear power, beginning with construction of the High Flux Reactor (HFR) in 1955. Ten years later, construction began on the country's first nuclear power plant at Dodewaard. This facility, with a 55 MWe natural circulation boiling water reactor, was operated by Joint Nuclear Power Plant Netherlands Ltd (GKN). The plant was connected to the grid in October 1968 and continued operations until 1997 when it was shut-down for economic reasons.
Currently Operating Nuclear Reactors
Construction of the Netherlands' second and only currently operating commercial nuclear power plant began at Borssele in July 1969. Operated by Electricity Generating Company for the Southern Netherlands (EPZ), the 452 MWe pressurized water reactor (PWR) was connected to the grid in July 1973. The facility was designed and built by Kraftwerk Union, a German division of Siemens. In 2006, a turbine upgrade increased the reactor's capacity to 485 MWe.
National Nuclear Energy Policies
The Netherlands pursued a small, active nuclear program until the government shelved a new construction project in 1986 following the Chernobyl disaster in the USSR. In 1994, after years of inactivity, the Dutch Parliament voted to phase-out the Borssele Plant and the entire nuclear program by 2003. Legal problems prevented the government from implementing their decision and in 2003, the government changed the closure date to 2013. By 2005, the phase-out decision was completely abandoned.
In June 2006, the Dutch government signed a new contract allowing the Borssele facility to remain operational until 2034 only if certain conditions are met:
The facility would be maintained according to the highest safety standards
Stakeholders Delta and Essent must agree to invest 250 million Euros toward sustainable energy projects.
In September 2006, a document entitled "Conditions for New Nuclear Power Plants" was submitted to the Dutch Parliament by the Netherlands Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment (VROM). This document provides conditions that must be met prior to construction of any new nuclear power plants.
Nuclear Fuel and Waste Disposal
Uranium fuel enrichment for Borssele is carried out at facilities in Almelo, Netherlands and Capenhurst, UK. The plants, operated by Urenco, began commercial production of enriched uranium in 1981 and 1982. Production at a third plant in Gronau, Germany began in 1985.
Used nuclear fuel from the Dodewaard plant was recycled at the UK’s Thorp facility at their Sellafield nuclear complex. Borssele’s used fuel is processed by France's La Hague Areva NC.
In 1992, the Dutch commissioned a low and intermediate level radioactive waste (LILW) management center at Borssele, operated by the Central Organization for Radioactive Waste (COVRA). COVRA's HABOG interim storage facility for high-level waste (HLW) was commissioned in September 2003.
Under provisions of the "Conditions for New Nuclear Power Plant" document, used fuel from new nuclear facilities will be stored until 2025, at which time the government will be forced to choose between recycling, direct disposal or partition and transmutation.
Research and Development
The Nuclear Research and Consultancy Group (NRG) conducts most nuclear research in the Netherlands. The company operates a 45 MW HFR at Petten, which became operational in September 1960. The facility is used mainly for fundamental research and the production of isotopes for medical applications. The project's technical lifespan ends in 2015, at which time it is scheduled to be replaced by a new reactor named PALLAS.
The country also has an operational 2MW pool-type research reactor at Delft University of Technology for Academic Research.
References
"Conditional approval for new nuclear power plants in the Netherlands." Netherlands Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment. VROM International. September 2006.
Country Profiles: Netherlands. Nuclear Energy Agency. June 20, 2007.
Nuclear Power in the Netherlands. World Nuclear Association. March 2008.
