Holland slashes carbon targets, shuns wind for nuclear

[hunter]

By Andrew Orlowski

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/02/10/holland_energy_switch

In a radical change of policy, the Netherlands is reducing its targets for renewable energy and slashing the subsidies for wind and solar power. It's also given the green light for the country's first new nuclear power plants for almost 40 years.

Why the change? Wind and solar subsidies are too expensive, the Financial Times Deutschland , reports.

Holland thus becomes the first country to abandon the EU-wide target of producing 20 per cent of its domestic power from renewables. This is a remarkable turnaround from a state that took the Kyoto Agreement seriously and chivvied other EU members into adopting renewable energy strategies. The FT reports that instead of the €4bn annual subsidy, it will be slashed to €1.5bn.

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Okay, I'll leave it there...

[glinda]

1. This is what happens when conservatives gain power.

[ladjf]

2. Look out, thieves in the Dutch house. nt

[GliderGuider]

3. No windmills in Holland? I has a sad.

:cry:

[DCKit]

4. #1 They're trying to decouple from the EU

#2 They're probably doing both, and intend to export energy to other EU countries.
#3 They're gonna be all up in their ass for safety.

[FBaggins]

5. Holland abandoning wind? Isn't that a sign of the apocalypse? n/t

[Dead_Parrot]

6. Err, has any anyone else reported this?

My suspicions are aroused by:
a) A Google news search for Netherlands + nuclear doesn't turn up anything obvious;
b) The FT.de link is a side-by-side comparison of turbines with and without drive shafts, and bugger all to do with nuclear or the Netherlands;
c) I know from past experience that Orlowski is a complete wanker.

Unless anyone else reports this, I'm not going to take it too seriously.

[hunter]

7. Weird.

A wanker post or something else?

:shrug:

[Dead_Parrot]

8. Just shit-stirring, I think

I can't recall anything written by Orlowski that hasn't convinced me he's a moron.

[muriel_volestrangler]

9. German FT article and translation

http://www.ftd.de/unternehmen/industrie/:energiepolitik-holland-plant-strahlende-zukunft/60008920.html

http://www.thegwpf.org/international-news/2410-hollands-radical-u-turn-on-climate-and-energy-policy.html

(and Google translation: http://translate.google.co.uk/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ftd.de%2Funternehmen%2Findustrie%2F%3Aenergiepolitik-holland-plant-strahlende-zukunft%2F60008920.html&sl=de&tl=en&hl=&ie=UTF-8)

(just to be clear: I'm not endorsing the GWPF site; but they have what appears to be a clean translation)

Also: a long article on this, which appears to have been taken from the European Energy Review (for which you need a subsciption), from January.

[hunter]

10. Dear Mr. Orlowski. Always check your links.

Thanks.