In Deventer, the municipality has been working hard to build support for gas-free alternatives. Rapport 2017; Nederland Extractive Industries Extractive Industries, https://www.rvo.nl/sites/default/files/2020/01/NL-EITI%20rapport%202017.pdf, Keep up to date with our latest news and analysis by subscribing to our regular newsletter. (From abroad: +31 20 624 1111), To do in Amsterdam. Key priorities include minimising inconvenience to residents and ensuring that residents’ energy costs do not rise. The water is heated at a central facility and delivered to users by a system of insulated pipes. It is aware, however, of the challenges of going completely gas-free and has published a guide for the residential sector to help with the transition. Of course, it is unlikely that in practice the process will be quite as simple as Wiebes has suggested with his gas-reducing measures. Thank you for subscribing. This report will be used to inform the government’s response to questions from Parliament concerning fossil-fuel subsidies and the potential need for reforms. 1. Wiebes has also promised to remove natural gas from the existing districts that currently rely on it. Argentina and Canada are currently working on a reciprocal peer review of their fossil-fuel subsidies and France and India recently announced their commitment to follow suit. Natural gas extraction from the Groningenveld gas field will be terminated. Natural gas in the Netherlands Historical and current role of natural gas It has been calling for a long time for gas production in Groningen to be halted and to discontinue the use of natural gas in homes. In this peer review, the Netherlands chose to maintain a broad definition of fossil-fuel subsidies that extends beyond a narrow definition of “subsidies” whereby government budgetary transfers are used to directly affect prices. Commenting on the discussion about making homes gas-free in January of this year, the ING bank’s economic office weighed in on the other side of the debate. It also foresees a phase-out of gas by 2050. Information about tourism, hotels, cultural events and going out on iamsterdam.com. For a flat on the canals of Amsterdam, he suggested, alternative energy sources such as a heat pump simply will not work. ‘One size does not fit all’ has also become a crucial tagline for campaigners discussing the alternatives to gas. Working together, we are sure to make this transition a success. This will be done through a gradual transition of around 30,000 to 50,000 homes per year until 2022, from which date the process will be accelerated to 200,000 homes a year. Safety perception as well as actual safety can only be guaranteed for the near future in Groningen by fully eliminating the source of the earthquake risk. But the broader outlines of the plan are already coming into focus. The review panel suggests that the government of the Netherlands continue to assess the sectors that are most at risk of carbon leakage in order to better target its subsidy programmes and identify alternative measures. The SER’s report specifically calls on the Dutch government to phase out the use of biomass in heating and power applications and support the use of alternatives, such as geothermal and aqua-thermal energy, hydrogen and heat pumps for thermal … People are very interested in gas-free living.”. This allows residents to produce their own sustainable energy in their home or business. Where good insulation is not realistic, for instance in older neighbourhoods, the focus should be on the use of geothermal energy. This vision document was drawn up with the help and after consultation of the Amsterdammers. On September 30, 2020, the City adopted the Heat Transition Vision. Private subscriptions are available now for €20 a year. Projects dedicated to generating renewable energy are of particular interest, especially those that address the need for energy storage. Some new neighbourhoods, such as Houthavens and Amstelkwartier, were even designed without gas pipelines. This widespread support is vital to achieving a successful transition. The Netherlands draft NECP stated that the country does not have any subsidies for the consumption of energy from fossil fuels, but that some exemptions to energy taxation and lower rates may actually result in higher consumption of fossil fuels. Government support for fossil fuels extends beyond measures provided through lower taxation on energy use. Although the burden sharing between households and companies has changed recently, energy taxes in the Netherlands are still very degressive, translating into a heavier tax burden on households and other small-scale energy consumers. In the first place it advocates for clear rules and objectives from the government. Peter Hofland of Alliander said: “It varies per neighbourhood which alternative is best for gas. Citizens’ objections to the cost of the transition are not necessarily unjustified, considering that – according to research carried out by Ecorys for the campaign group – the costs are unevenly distributed and hit those with lower incomes the most. While production from the Groningen natural gas field will be phased out by mid-2022, a recent increase in the investment allowance from 25% to 40% has been granted to … This peer review also answers to the European Commission recommendation requesting its Member States to “list all energy subsidies, including in particular for fossil fuels, and actions undertaken as well as plans to phase them out” in their respective National Climate and Energy Plans (NECPs). This report summarises the key aspects of the Netherland’s energy system, analyses support measures relating to fossil fuels and provides policy recommendations to the government. Surveys have shown that the majority of Amsterdammers are in favour of switching to more sustainable energy sources. Further More, more than 3,000 persons receive the paper at their private address. He also warned that heat pumps and geothermal energy are now much more expensive than a central heating boiler, and that since the installation sector already has a staff shortage, it will be a huge effort to complete the job by 2050. This is a precursor to the firm commitment made in the Paris Climate Agreement to make the Netherlands entirely free of natural gas by 2050. The OECD and IEA has been supporting the commitments that countries’ leaders made under the G20, APEC, and G7 to “phase out and rationalize over the medium term inefficient fossil fuel subsidies that encourage wasteful consumption.” OECD support includes the periodic release of the Inventory of Support Measures for Fossil Fuels, which uses data obtained from government sources to produce estimates of budgetary transfers and tax expenditures used to support fossil-fuel production and consumption. By undertaking a peer review of their fossil-fuel subsidies, the government of the Netherlands is taking an important step to promote the transparency of public policies and government budgets and foster a greater accountability of its use of public resources. To achieve this goal, it plans to relax certain regulations and leave room for experimentation. We are still working to define exactly how the transition process will unfold. Then you may be able to create a heating network, in which the residual heat of the company keeps the houses warm. After summarising the key aspects of the Netherland’s energy landscape, the report analyses in detail the subsidies and other measures that the Netherlands and the review team have identified in the course of the review process. The city officials strive to ensure that Amsterdam remains a healthy, liveable, and forward-thinking city – a place that we can proudly pass on to our children and grandchildren. In many cases, the choice will be between district heating and fully electric heating systems. Natural gas is a major source of CO2 emissions, which cause climate change. The low tax rates levied on larger energy consumers and the tax benefits provided to industrial users imply relatively lower energy prices for natural gas than for other IEA country industrial users, including neighbouring EU states. There has been some concern over new builds in the east of the Netherlands, which have apparently been fitted with gas pipes. Another step towards more transparency is the recent Netherlands report under the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative.2. Despite the cautions about the process, Milieudefensie is hopeful about the switch to gas-free. This report is the principal outcome of this peer review process, reflecting the IEA and OECD review team's in-person discussions with officials from the Netherlands, but also deliberations among the review team and consultations with stakeholders.