If you would like to learn more about the IAEA’s work sign up for our weekly updates containing our most important news An International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) team of experts today completed a review of long term operational safety of the Borssele Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) in the Kingdom of the Netherlands The Pre-Safety Aspects of Long Term Operation (Pre-SALTO) review mission was requested by the country’s Authority for Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection (ANVS) the team reviewed the plant’s preparedness organization and programmes for safe long-term operation (LTO) operated by Elektriciteits-Produktiemaatschappij Zuid-Nederland (EPZ) The plant’s single unit is a pressurized water reactor with a net electrical output of 485 MW(e) contributing 3.2% of the total electricity generation in the country It was put into commercial operation in 1973 with a design life of 40 years The plant had previously received approval to extend the operational period to 2033 and the plant’s intention – as requested by the Dutch government – is to extend the operation for a subsequent period until 2054 The mission was conducted by a twelve-person team consisting of experts from Argentina The team held discussions with staff from the Borssele NPP and conducted site walkdowns during the review “The team observed that EPZ is preparing for safe continued long-term operation and the plant staff are cooperative and open to suggestions for improvement,” said team leader and IAEA Senior Nuclear Safety Officer Gabor Petofi “We encourage the plant to address the review findings and implement the remaining LTO-related activities as planned.” The team identified two good practices that will be shared with the nuclear industry globally The team also provided 15 recommendations and suggestions to further improve safe subsequent LTO The plant management expressed a determination to implement the mission findings “We appreciate the IAEA's support to our plant in ageing management and preparation for safe subsequent LTO,” said Carlo Wolters “It is very important for us to get an external view of our preparations in an early phase The competencies and experience of the IAEA team enabled an effective identification of our areas for improvements The results of this mission will help us to improve our activities for safe subsequent LTO and to further align them with IAEA safety standards.” The team provided a draft report to the plant management and to the ANVS The plant management and ANVS will have an opportunity to make factual comments on the draft A final report will be submitted to the plant management ANVS and the Dutch Government within three months A SALTO peer review is a comprehensive safety review addressing strategy and key elements for the safe long term operation of nuclear power plants. They complement OSART missions, which are designed as a review of essential operational safety programmes and activities Neither SALTO nor OSART reviews are regulatory inspections nor are they design reviews or substitutes for an exhaustive assessment of a plant's overall safety status A Pre-SALTO mission reviews ageing management for safe LTO at an early stage of the preparation prior to the complete implementation of the ageing management activities LTO of nuclear power plants is defined as operation beyond an established time frame determined by the license term consideration should be given to life limiting processes and features of systems as well as to reasonably practicable safety upgrades to enhance the safety of the plant to a level approaching that of modern plants General information about SALTO missions can be found on the IAEA Website Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power is withdrawing from the technology selection process for two new reactors at the Borssele nuclear power plant site in the Netherlands It follows the company's recent withdrawal from similar reactor selection processes in Sweden and Slovenia the Netherlands' new coalition government placed nuclear power at the heart of its climate and energy policy two new reactors will be completed around 2035 and each will have a capacity of 1000-1650 MWe The two reactors would provide 9-13% of the Netherlands' electricity production in 2035 The cabinet announced in December 2022 that it currently sees Borssele as the most suitable location for the construction of the new reactors Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) was contracted in December 2023 to conduct a feasibility study into the construction of two Korean-supplied reactors at Borssele The contract came as the South Korean and Dutch governments signed a memorandum of understanding to cooperate on nuclear energy Similar contracts for feasibility studies were also signed with EDF of France and Westinghouse of the USA The studies were to consider whether their respective reactor designs comply with Dutch legislation and regulations whether it can be fitted into the preferred location at Borssele and to develop a more detailed estimate of the costs and time required to build the two new units The possible impact on the environment was also highlighted in the studies Amentum of the USA was selected to review and advise on the studies submitted by the three potential reactor vendors "The studies have now been completed, final discussions have been held and the contracts have been concluded," Sophie Hermans, Minister of Climate and Green Growth told the Dutch House of Representatives, the lower house of parliament, in a 17 March letter KHNP unfortunately indicated that it had to take the decision not to be able to take on the role of technology supplier for the construction of new power stations in the Netherlands," Hermans said "KHNP indicates that this is based on its own strategic considerations that fall outside the conditions and character of the Dutch project This decision follows recent similar decisions by KHNP in other European countries The ministers noted that KHNP's decision "has no consequences for the preparation of the competitive tender .. the preparations for the construction of the nuclear power plants will therefore continue expeditiously" She added that Westinghouse and EDF "have indicated that they would like to continue active and intensive discussions about the way in which their technology can be integrated in the Netherlands Hermans said the government will inform the House of Representatives about the results of the technical feasibility studies and their third party reviews in a letter at the beginning of May the government will also discuss the other work tracks of the new construction process the project procedure and governance," she said the government will finally provide an explanation of the design of the process to arrive at technology selection." EDF and KHNP were the three bidders for new nuclear in the Czech Republic KHNP was the winning bidder and an EPC contract is expected to be signed by the end of this month despite EDF and Westinghouse appealing against the decision Since then it has been announced that Westinghouse and KHNP and Korea Electric Power Cooperation have reached agreement on intellectual property issues - the subject of court cases in the USA - and while details regarding the terms of the settlement remain confidential the companies said "the agreement also sets the stage for future cooperation between the parties to advance new nuclear projects globally" Plan is to extend operation for a subsequent period until 2054 An International Atomic Energy Agency team provided 15 recommendations and suggestions to further improve safe long-term operation (LTO) at the Borssele nuclear power station in the Netherlands including that the plant should complete the development and implementation of the ageing management programmes for mechanical and electrical components The Pre-Safety Aspects of Long-Term Operation (Pre-Salto) review team said the plant should enhance the ageing management of civil structures and update and implement the human resources strategy to support LTO The team said it identified two good practices that will be shared with the nuclear industry globally They are: use of a 360-degree imaging system for planning of ageing management activities to reduce radiation dose to plant personnel; and use of a portable tablet for field inspectors to conduct ageing management inspections of civil structures and record findings It is the only commercial nuclear plant in the country The plant’s single unit is a pressurised water reactor has a net electrical output of 482 MW contributing 3.2% of the total electricity generation in the Netherlands Borssele began commercial operation in 1973 with a design life of 40 years Fortum logoFortum logoFortum Fortum to Consult EPZ for Borssele NPP Life-Time Extension16 April 2025 at 09:01 EEST In February 2025, Fortum and Elektriciteits Produktiemaatschappij Zuid (EPZ), the operator of the Borssele Nuclear Power Plant in the Netherlands, signed an agreement on life-time extension investment study support. Under the agreement, Fortum will provide support to EPZ in their life-time extension planning by reviewing EPZ’s existing investment study plans and providing experience-based feedback and consultation on the assessment and planning of necessary activities. Utilising these recent experiences and Fortum’s extensive nuclear operator know-how, Fortum’s project team supports EPZ in Borssele NPP’s lifetime extension by evaluating the scope and size of necessary investment needs, considering presented technical solutions, highlighting  potential challenges related to investment implementation, and providing alternative options and views regarding modernization project’s implementation schedule. The works under the project were started in March 2025 the outcome of the assignment will be concluded  by summer. For further details and inquiries related to the assignment or Fortum’s services for operating nuclear power plants in general, please contact: Director, Operating Plant and Waste Services © Fortum 2025 A single 485 MWe PWR is operating at Borssele In April 2023 the government announced its draft Climate Fund for 2024 which included €320 million for the development of nuclear energy €10 million would go towards studies over the period 2023-2025 regarding the operating lifetime extension of the Borssele plant; €117 million was allocated for studies on the construction of two new reactors; €65 million would go towards investment in nuclear skills; and €65 million would be used to support the development of SMRs The government has earmarked the Borssele site as the most suitable location for the construction of two new large reactors but a final decision on the location is not due to be made before the end of 2024 Preliminary plans suggest that the reactors would have a capacity of 1000-1650 MWe each providing 9-13% of the country’s electricity and could be completed by around 2035. In February 2024 Westinghouse was awarded a contract to conduct a technical feasibility study on the deployment of two AP1000 reactors at Borssele In the same month the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate announced its ‘proposal for participation’ in the construction of the two new reactors at Borssele was open Nuclear electricity production by age of reactor Dutch nuclear regulator ANVS (De Autoriteit Nucleaire Veiligheid en Stralingsbescherming) has reviewed three reactor designs which had been proposed for the planned expansion of the Borssele NPP The review was undertaken at the request of the Ministry of Climate & Green Growth (KGG – Ministerie van Klimaat en Groene Groei) The designs reviewed were AP-1000 designs (Westinghouse) APR-1400 (Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power – KHNP) and EPR (Électricité du France – EDF) Although KHNP had pulled out of the tender its review was still included in the study the new coalition government of the Netherlands decided to prioritise nuclear energy as part of its climate and energy policies Two new 1000-1650 MWe projects were to be completed by about 2035 to provide 9-13% of electricity production The Cabinet of Ministers announced in December 2022 that the Borssele NPP site was the most suitable location for the new reactors KHNP and EDF all submitted proposals and undertook feasibility studies The companies were asked to assess their designs against ANVS guidelines – Safe Design & Safe Operations of Nuclear Power Plants (VOBK) ANVS noted that in a possible licensing procedure it would need to be proven in detail that the passive systems and principles “are also sufficiently reliable in practice to guarantee safety in all accident scenarios” This will be an extensive point of attention ANVS “sees that the safety file of the AP-1000 is largely based on compliance with prescriptive American standards” “This system requires that the applicant demonstrates in detail that these objectives are achieved with the design This entails a risk of a longer lead time because the applicant will have to rewrite the safety documentation extensively.” ANVS noted that the adjustments that have been made to this design “appear to meet the expectations that (Western) European countries which will require specific attention from the initiator” KHNP’s intention to rely heavily on the supply of components from South Korea “also entails challenges with regard to the testing of the quality assurance on site and the supervision by the ANVS during manufacturing” Another point of attention is the focus on the reactor core in the safety analysis whereas the Netherlands expects that all sources of radioactivity are considered ANVS noted that although based on Western European norms and standards from the start the relatively high power of the reactor core means active safety systems are of extra importance the many (safety) systems make the design robust but also complex This poses challenges for both the granting of permits and (supervision of) the construction Another point of attention is that the designer is currently focused on the further development of the EPR2 a different design to that offered in the Netherlands “The initiator must ensure that this does not detract from the quality of the design that is offered to the Netherlands” As the reactor is in operation or under construction in Finland this has the advantage that ANVS will be able to rely European colleague authorities when assessing the design based on the self-evaluations as carried out by the designers ANVS “sees no reason to assume that one of these designs could not be licensed in the Netherlands” “there is therefore no reason to exclude a design from participation in the tender or to require adjustments to the standard design in the context of this process” ANVS will very carefully assess whether the design complies with Dutch legislation and regulations whereby the applicant will have to provide much more information about the design and the safety analyses than is currently available in the self-assessments,” ANVS said “Only once the location is known will it be possible to consider the location-specific safety aspects that play a role at that location.” KHNP’s withdrawal from the selection process followed the withdrawal from similar processes in Sweden and Slovenia KHNP indicated that this was “based on its own strategic considerations that go beyond the conditions and nature of the Dutch project” EDF and KHNP were the three candidates for a new nuclear power plant in the Czech Republic and it is expected that the EPC contract will be signed by the end of this month despite the fact that EDF and Westinghouse have appealed this decision KHNP and Korea Electric Power Cooperation ended a long-running dispute on intellectual property issues The details of the settlement remain confidential but the companies said the agreement “lays the foundation for future cooperation between the parties to promote new nuclear projects around the world” Korean press reports speculated that KHNP may have ceded its European ambitions to Westinghouse as part of that agreement noting that it had pulled out of nuclear projects in three European countries just before and after it resolved the intellectual property rights dispute with Westinghouse in January Chosun cited an industry insider as saying that even if Westinghouse secures nuclear deals in other countries it will still need assistance from KHNP and Kepco with construction they seem to have worked out a role-sharing arrangement.” Give your business an edge with our leading industry insights View all newsletters from across the Progressive Media network © Business Trade Media International Limited Check out the video footage of the cargo drones  in action on Ørsted's LinkedIn. Ørsted has for the first time deployed heavy-lift cargo drones at the Borssele 1 and 2 offshore wind farms in the Dutch North Sea are transporting cargo of up to 100 kg from a vessel to all 94 wind turbines Ørsted first tested the concept last year at the Hornsea 1 wind farm in the UK southern North Sea the company is updating certain evacuation and safety equipment items in each of the turbines a vessel would sail from one wind turbine to the next using a crane to lift each box containing the equipment onto the transition piece The box would then be lifted using the nacelle’s crane to reach the nacelle and finally moved to the top of the turbine the drones will fly back and forth from an offshore supply vessel directly to the top of the nacelle an operation that takes about 4 minutes compared to about 6 hours under the conventional approach Ørsted calculates it has been able to complete the tasks at Borssele 10 to 15 times faster than before taking into account transport to and from the shore So it expects the use of drones to deliver cargo to Borssele 1 and 2 to cut costs as well as improving operational safety and efficiency as wind turbines do not have to be shut down when the cargo is delivered making it safer for the personnel working on the wind farm and minimize the need for multiple journeys by ship Welcome to IPE. 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Read our policy IPE magazine July/August 2023 By 2024-07-30T10:00:00+01:00 the €55.6bn pension scheme for the technology industry wants to invest in the four nuclear power plants the new Dutch government intends to build The pension fund fears that the energy transition in the Netherlands cannot be completed without nuclear energy This plant in Borssele is the only functioning nuclear power plant in the Netherlands “The energy transition in the Netherlands is not going fast enough In order to get to a carbon-neutral energy system we also need nuclear energy,” Uijen told television show Nieuwsuur last week Uijen said PME started its “internal thinking” about investing in nuclear energy about six months ago as political support for the controversial energy source was building “The previous government already wanted two nuclear power plants; the new one [government] even aims to build four So there is political support for nuclear power and people are very keen for us as a pension fund to contribute to it,” he added many civil servants and politicians have asked us about it.” PME has recently been criticised by these same Dutch politicians who accused the pension fund of “activist investing” because of its decision to divest from fossil fuels and focus on renewable-energy investments you can consider investing in nuclear power as activist as well,” Uijen noted because they are generally in favour of nuclear energy this step proves that we are not activist but that we judge every investment on its merits.” The pension fund’s members overwhelmingly support PME investing in nuclear energy In a survey the pension fund conducted this year “The basic attitude toward nuclear energy is positive among the majority of our members risks and safety of nuclear power plants and the problem of radioactive waste The widespread support for nuclear energy may also be explained by the fact that a number of companies in the sector PME caters for are involved in the production of raw materials for nuclear energy one of our employers is developing a gas centrifuge technology for enriching uranium our participants may have more affinity with nuclear energy than the average Dutch,” Uijen noted have a range of demands to be met before it agrees to a possible nuclear investment “State participation is absolutely necessary to manage the risks involved we have a preference for the Regulated Asset Base (RAB) model allowing us to make a return on investment already during the construction phase,” according to Uijen This demand was also made by prospective investors in the Sizewell C nuclear project in the UK. The RAB model allows for returns before completion of a project by placing a small levy on customers’ bills on the basis that they will benefit from much cheaper electricity once the new nuclear power station is operational a fixed electricity price is also necessary for a nuclear power investment to be viable PME has “an initial preference” for debt financing “For a standard equity investment without additional guarantees “Elsewhere in Europe you see that the construction costs of nuclear power plants are always much higher than budgeted,” he added The return requirements for PME depend on the risks involved with the investment It has been a long time since the previous investment in a nuclear power plant in the Netherlands but for nuclear energy it will be higher.” more investors need to come on board to make a viable investment proposition one pension fund together with the government is not enough as one single nuclear power plant already costs at least €20bn We have also talked to other pension funds but they often have not yet taken a position on investment in nuclear power The latest digital edition of IPE’s magazine is now available Copyright © 1997–2025 IPE International Publishers Limited Site powered by Webvision Cloud has launched the world’s first operational campaign using heavy-lift cargo drones (HLCD) at the Borssele 1&2 Offshore Wind Farm represents a major advancement in the offshore wind industry will help to speed up the transportation of crucial equipment to all 94 turbines at Borssele 1&2 Previously tested at the Hornsea 1 Offshore Wind Farm in the UK the drones are expected to revolutionize turbine maintenance and equipment updates transporting equipment was a time-consuming process in which a vessel would move from turbine to turbine using to crane to lift boxes of equipment onto the transition piece The new drone system can complete the same task in about four minutes per turbine drastically reducing operational time and costs Ørsted estimates that the drone system will speed up tasks at Borssele by 10-15 times compared to conventional methods Chief Commercial Officer and Deputy-CEO of Ørsted acknowledged the positive impact of this technology stating that Ørsted has led offshore wind’s journey from a niche technology to a cost-competitive and large-scale source of renewable power The drones at Borssele 1&2 are a perfect example and lower the cost of operating offshore wind farms These improvements strengthen the commercial fundamentals of offshore wind for companies The new drone technology offers both efficiency and safety Drones help to reduce personnel danger and carbon emissions by decreasing the need for numerous ship journeys and preventing work disruptions that might otherwise require the shutdown of wind turbines Ørsted is seeking partnerships with leading cargo drone operators and service providers to help it further develop this technology Ørsted’s dedication to innovation goes beyond drones with recent improvements in monopile installation technology and the deployment of autonomous vessels for offshore surveying Ørsted handles over 300 projects and interacts with over 50 universities and research institutes using in-house R&D capabilities and a staff of science and engineering specialists Disclaimer : The information contained in this website is for general information purposes only While we endeavour to keep the information up to date and correct we make no representations or warranties of any kind suitability or availability with respect to the website or the information or related graphics contained on the website for any purpose Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk In no event will we be liable for any loss or damage including without limitation or any loss or damage whatsoever arising from loss of data or profits arising out of Do you have info to share with us ? Suggest a correction Marine Insight News Network is a premier source for up-to-date and insightful coverage of the maritime industry Marine Insight News Network prides itself on delivering accurate Signup today and get maritime ebooks submitted to your inbox directly.  © 2010 - 2025 Marine Insight — All Rights Reserved We respect your privacy and take protecting it very seriously the Netherlands' coalition government placed nuclear power at the heart of its climate and energy policy Some EUR500 million (USD529 million) was earmarked to support new nuclear build in the period to 2025 It anticipated that cumulative support for new nuclear would reach EUR5 billion by 2030 while not assuming any new power plants would be online by that time the Dutch Council of Ministers designated the existing Borssele site as the preferred location for two new reactors It has also called for a feasibility study into extending the operation of the existing Borssele plant beyond 2033 The new coalition government - elected in November last year - has now said it is investigating with the operator and shareholders of the plant what is needed to make its extended operation possible The government said it has made a subsidy available "to investigate whether it is technically feasible and safe to keep the nuclear power plant in production for longer" It noted that in addition to the various feasibility studies the government will first conduct research into the environmental effects of the extension of the operating life the owner must apply for a permit to keep the plant open for longer from the independent supervisory authority the Authority for Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection the Borssele plant is 70% owned by the Zeeuwse Energie Houdstermaatschappij (ZEH) which is owned by decentralised authorities such as the province of Zeeland and various municipalities in Zeeland The remaining 30% is owned by German utility RWE The cabinet has decided that the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy will start exploratory discussions about a possible share transfer "The central government only sees the purchase of the shares as an option if it gives it decisive control over keeping the nuclear power plant open for longer provided that this can be done safely," the government said "The authorities involved will not yet make a final decision on a possible takeover of the shares by the state The exploratory discussions are aimed at investigating the potential for reaching an agreement After completion of the exploratory discussions the government will inform the House of Representatives about the next steps to be taken." The 482 MWe (net) pressurised water reactor at Borssele - operated by EPZ - has been in operation since 1973 and is scheduled to close in 2033 It accounts for about 3% of the country's total electricity generation US-based Westinghouse and France’s EDF are only two suppliers left in running Three nuclear power plant designs being considered for new build in the Netherlands are all suitable and would meet safety and siting requirements while confirming that one design has been withdrawn from the process ANVS said it had come to its conclusions following a review of “self-studies” carried out on the three technologies at the request of the Ministry of Climate and Green Growth (KGG) The three technologies are US-based Westinghouse’s AP1000 French state utility EDF’s EPR and Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power’s (KHNP) APR1400 EDF and KHNP were asked to study construction time and costs They were also asked to investigate whether their nuclear plants would fit on a site at the preferred new build location of Borssele ANVS said that since the studies were carried out KGG has indicated that KHNP has withdrawn as a potential technology supplier leaving only Westinghouse and EDF in the running Recent reports in the Netherlands said the government will back plans for the construction of four new large-scale nuclear power reactors and will more than triple the government funds earmarked for the new build programme from €4.5bn to €14bn ($4.9bn to $15.2 bn) in the province of Zeeland in the southwest of the Netherlands is the country’s only commercial nuclear power station It has a single 482-MW pressurised water reactor unit that began commercial operation in 1973 According to the International Atomic Energy Agency in 2022 it provided a 3.3% share of the country’s electricity production ANVS said: “These companies have tested their designs against our guidelines for safe design and safe operation of nuclear power plants (VOBK) “They have also made it clear where their design differs from the VOBK and how they still ensure that they achieve the level of safety required by law in the Netherlands.” Last month it was reported that KHNP had also decided to withdraw from the bidding competition for a planned new nuclear power station project at the Krško nuclear power station site in Slovenia BusinessKorea said observers have speculated that KHNP is effectively withdrawing from the European nuclear market BusinessKorea quoted a KHNP official as saying the company decided not to participate in the project “based on business considerations” including the Czech nuclear project and its focus on SMR development In July, KHNP was chosen as preferred bidder in a lucrative public tender to build two nuclear plants at Dukovany in the Czech Republic with the first unit scheduled to be online by 2036 KHNP also provided four APR1400 plants for the Arab World’s first commercial nuclear power station at Barakah in the United Arab Emirates Ørsted and Van Oord have installed droppable oyster structures around the Borssele 1&2 offshore wind farm in the southern Dutch North Sea These are portable reef structures with adult oysters attached Larvae produced by the oysters should colonize and ultimately form oyster reefs at the site.  this new installation technique is an economic way of introducing oysters at wind farms on a large scale to boost biodiversity The company has been working with Ørsted to reintroduce the European flat oyster to the North Sea which Van Oord says is a costly process involving a crane installation Droppable oyster structures can be installed by manual placement on the seabed from the deck of a small vessel Transport and installation can be incorporated into regular maintenance conducted at the wind farm An underwater camera will monitor the structures and oysters over time assessing the impact on the local ecosystem about 20% of the Dutch North Sea seabed was covered with large-scale oyster reefs but these wild oyster reefs have virtually disappeared from the North Sea as a whole.  They provided filtration that improved water quality food and shelter to various species of fish and shellfish North Sea wind farms provide a hard substrate and undisturbed seabed that can support restoration of the flat oyster population in the North Sea Amentum has been selected by the Netherlands to review and advise on the technical feasibility studies for two new reactors in the country submitted from three potential reactor vendors The cabinet announced in December 2022 that it currently sees the existing Borssele nuclear power plant site as the most suitable location for the construction of the new reactors It has since awarded contracts to Westinghouse and to Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power to conduct feasibility studies on the deployment of their respective reactors at Borssele with the Dutch government also saying it intended to award a similar contract to EDF Amentum said the Dutch Ministry of Climate Policy and Green Growth had received technical feasibility studies and market consultations from three potential reactor vendors and had asked Amentum "to carry out a full review of this information to provide independent advice on the technical and market viability of constructing two nuclear power plants and to deliver advisory input to enable an informed decision on design and financing" Senior Vice President of Amentum Energy & Environment International said: "This important contract advances our growth strategy by taking us into a new country and plays to many of our strengths so we are able to apply our experience of nuclear new build programmes in the UK along with our extensive technical knowledge to assess the compatibility of reactor designs within the specific Dutch context." The Amentum team will be supported by CMS Lawyers PA Consulting and ENCO nuclear consultants at Borssele in the south west of the country It is a 482 MWe pressurised water reactor which was connected to the grid in 1973 and generates about 3% of the country's electricity As well as considering the two new large units the country is also looking into the development of small modular reactors Amentum was created in early 2020 from the spin-off of US-based global infrastructure firm AECOM's Management Services business. In September Amentum completed a merger with Jacobs Solutions Inc's Critical Mission Solutions and Cyber and Intelligence government services businesses to form an independent publicly traded company called Amentum Holdings The combination was described by Amentum CEO John Heller as transformational for the company forming a "global leader in advanced engineering and innovative technology solutions" Incoming coalition may extend operating lifetime of single reactor The Dutch government has said it will consider acquiring a stake in the Borssele nuclear power station should a decision be made to extend the operation of the single-unit facility beyond 2033 The new coalition government has said it is investigating with the operator and shareholders of the station what is needed to make its extended operation possible The government said it has made a subsidy available to investigate whether it is technically feasible and safe to keep the nuclear power plant in production for longer Borssele is 70% owned by the Zeeuwse Energie Houdstermaatschappij Recent reports in the Netherlands said the incoming government will back plans for the construction of four new large-scale nuclear power reactors in the Netherlands and will more than triple the government funds earmarked for the new build programme from €4.5bn to €14bn ($4.9bn to $15.2 bn) a member of the centre-right VVD that will be part of the new government said a tender is already being planned by the caretaker government to choose the technology for the first two large nuclear plants The incoming coalition government has an agreement to expand on nuclear new build plans out in place by the outgoing government An International Atomic Energy Agency team of experts has completed a review of long-term operational safety for the Borssele nuclear power plant in the Netherlands The 485 MWe (net) pressurised water reactor at Borssele - operated by EPZ - has been in operation since 1973 and accounts for about 3% of the country's total electricity generation but the government has requested it remain in operation until 2054 A Safety Aspects of Long-Term Operation (SALTO) peer review is a comprehensive safety review addressing strategy and key elements for the safe long-term operation (LTO) of nuclear power plants SALTO missions complement IAEA Operational Safety Review Team (OSART) missions which are designed as a review of programmes and activities essential to operational safety SALTO peer reviews can be carried out at any time during the lifetime of a nuclear power plant though according to the IAEA the most suitable time lies within the last 10 years of the plant's originally foreseen operating period SALTO and OSART reviews are carried out at the request of the IAEA Member State in which the review is to take place The Pre-SALTO review mission was requested by the country's Authority for Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection (ANVS) the team reviewed the plant's preparedness including: use of a 360 degree imaging system for enhanced planning of ageing management activities to reduce radiation dose to plant personnel; and use of a portable tablet for field inspectors to conduct ageing management inspections of civil structures and record findings including that: the plant should complete the development and implementation of the ageing management programmes for mechanical and electrical components; the plant should enhance the ageing management of civil structures; and the plant should effectively update and implement the human resources strategy to support LTO "The team observed that EPZ is preparing for safe continued long-term operation and the plant staff are cooperative and open to suggestions for improvement," said team leader and IAEA Senior Nuclear Safety Officer Gabor Petofi "We encourage the plant to address the review findings and implement the remaining LTO-related activities as planned." EPZ CEO Carlo Wolters said: "We appreciate the IAEA's support to our plant in ageing management and preparation for safe subsequent LTO It is very important for us to get an external view of our preparations in an early phase The results of this mission will help us to improve our activities for safe subsequent LTO and to further align them with IAEA safety standards." A draft report has been provided to plant management and ANVS They have the opportunity to make factual comments on the draft with the final report to be submitted to them and the Dutch government within three months Two workers at the Borssele nuclear power plant were reportedly contaminated with radioactive material during maintenance work Both employees were wearing respiratory protection A small amount of radioactive material was released during the work The two affected workers had radioactive particles on their skin who was also in the room but was not wearing respiratory protection left as soon as the alarm sounded and later tested negative for contamination All three workers underwent additional testing for internal exposure EPZ is investigating the cause of the incident. “The event had no impact on nuclear safety and has been reported to the Authority for Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection,” the company said. Ørsted has deployed heavy-lift cargo drones (HLCDs) for maintenance work at the Borssele 1&2 offshore wind farm in the Netherlands This is the first time heavy-lift cargo drones are being used in an operational campaign according to the company which tested the concept in 2023 at its Hornsea One offshore wind farm in the UK At the 752 MW Dutch offshore wind farm that has been in operation since 2020 the 70-kilogram drones will transport cargo of up to 100 kilograms from a vessel to all 94 wind turbines The campaign now underway at Borssele 1&2 is being performed to update some critical evacuation and safety equipment in each of the turbines A drone can complete a task that typically takes several hours in minutes “The drone flight from the vessel to the turbine takes about four minutes per turbine while the conventional approach without using drones can take approx Taking vessel transport between the turbines and from-and-to shore into account Ørsted has been able to complete the tasks at Borssele 10-15 times faster than normally,” the developer stated in a press release on 7 August Deploying HLCDs in an actual campaign comes after trials on other offshore wind farms and testing the concept last year at the UK’s Hornsea One offshore wind farm Ørsted said it had become “the first offshore wind company in the world” to use giant autonomous drones to transport cargo to wind turbines Using drones for cargo transport at Borssele 1&2 will reduce costs and time as there is less work disturbance since wind turbines do not have to be shut down when cargo is delivered making it safer for personnel working on the wind farm and minimise the need for multiple journeys by ship Ørsted also said it was actively seeking partnerships with the best cargo drone operators and service providers to help grow the supply chain Get in front of your target audience in one move OffshoreWIND.biz is read by thousands of offshore wind professionals daily Daily news and in-depth stories in your inbox renewable energy is key to the future of our planet we have over 60 years’ experience and an in-depth understanding of the power and temperature control needs of wind farms We have a dedicated Wind Energy Team whose innovative strategies […] Following the award of a contract in December last year to Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) to conduct a feasibility study into the construction of two Korean-supplied reactors at Borssele Westinghouse will now evaluate the construction of AP1000 units there The Dutch government has previously said it also intends to award a third such contract to EDF of France KHNP was due begin its feasibility study in January and it is expected to last at least six months The contract with Westinghouse was signed by Michel Heijdra Director-General for Climate and Energy at the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Westinghouse Senior Vice President of Energy Systems Commercial Operations "The TFS represents a significant step forward in the country's ambitious strategy to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 aligning with the European Union's climate goals and the Dutch commitment to carbon-neutral electricity production by 2035," Westinghouse said "We are honoured to begin work with the Dutch government on this preliminary yet crucial phase to deliver the world's most advanced Generation III+ reactor technology," said Westinghouse Energy Systems President David Durham Westinghouse is proud to support the Dutch government and offer reliable carbon-free electricity and economic benefits to the Netherlands for decades to come." "This is the first step of the project procedure to arrive at a final choice of location," the ministry said local authorities and anyone who wants to do so can contribute ideas about the locations to be investigated and environmental effects for the construction of two new nuclear power stations," it said "If the ideas meet the preconditions described in the intention the ministry will investigate whether these locations are potentially suitable in the next step of the project procedure the existing 'guarantee locations' are being investigated These are Borssele/Vlissingen (the Sloe area) and Maasvlakte I (the port of Rotterdam)." The ministry will also soon publish its 'intention' for the new reactors in which it describes how it will involve interested parties and local residents in the project procedure in the future Interested parties can indicate in which ways they would like to be involved in the next steps "The 'intention and proposal for participation' is a formal part of the project procedure for projects of national importance," the ministry said the cabinet will make a final decision on the location in 2025 The project procedure is one of the four work tracks required to make a final decision and start the tender market consultation and first steps for the National-Regional Package were started earlier." The decision that will determine the locations of two new nuclear power plants in the Netherlands is being delayed confirmed a spokesperson for Climate Minister Sophie Hermans It is uncertain whether a decision will be made in 2025 the spokesperson said in response to an initial report by NRC This will likely wind up delaying the construction of the power plants entirely The duration of the potential delay is also unknown as the Ministry of Climate and Green Growth plans to investigate more possible locations for the nuclear power plants than previously thought only two sites were considered suitable areas for new nuclear plants The first is the Eerste Maasvlakte section at the Port of Rotterdam where the only functioning nuclear plant in the Netherlands is currently situated The previous Cabinet designated Borssele in Zeeland as the preferred location for the two new nuclear power plants and the Tweede Maasvlakte at the Rotterdam port have been added as candidate destinations since September The current Cabinet wants Eemshaven to be scratched from the list but the ministry is legally obliged to include that location in the study the three new areas are an “important factor” in the postponement of the decision on the location of the nuclear power plants The government is now also working on the development of four nuclear power plants instead of two but these two additional plants are not yet part of this review process Three multinational construction firms have already completed a feasibility study to determine if they can complete such plants at Borssele based on the previous Cabinet’s decision Those conclusions are currently under review by an independent agency it is “no longer feasible” for the Cabinet to make its final decision in the second quarter of 2025 It is not yet known if a decision can even be announced by the end of the year Generation mix: natural gas 47.8 TWh (39%); wind 21.6 TWh (18%); coal 17.4 TWh (14%); solar 16.8 TWh (14%); biofuels & waste 11.6 TWh (10%); nuclear 4.2 TWh (3%); oil 1.5 TWh (1%) Import/export balance: 4.3 TWh net export (18.5 TWh imports; 22.8 TWh exports) Source: International Energy Agency and The World Bank At the end of 2020 the country had 30.1 GWe total generating capacity Nuclear power has a small role in the Dutch electricity supply with the Borssele reactor providing about 3% of total generation In May 2018 the government announced a draft law for phasing out coal-fired generation Two of five plants are to close before 2025 and the other three before 2030 Following an October 2018 court ruling* requiring the government to immediately take more effective action on climate change the government announced that Vattenfall's 650 MWe Hemweg 8 coal-fired plant should stop using coal as a fuel by the end of 2019 Vattenfall took the decision to close the plant in December 2019 About 1.9 GWe of the 3.31 GWe of coal-fired capacity in 2020 will be converted to use biomass by 2030 * At the end of 2013 the Urgenda Foundation commenced legal proceedings against the Dutch government for its alleged failure to take sufficient action to prevent dangerous climate change the District Court of The Hague ruled that the government must cut its greenhouse gas emissions by at least 25% by the end of 2020 (compared to 1990 levels) The case was appealed by the government and upheld by the Court of Appeal in October 2018 The government filed an appeal to the Supreme Court in January 2019 In December 2019 the Supreme Court ruled in favour of Urgenda 2020 emissions were 8% lower than 2019 largely due to the Covid-19 pandemic researchers at the Delft University of Technology became interested in the potential of nuclear energy and stockpiled natural uranium which was later kept hidden from occupying forces In the early 1950s this uranium was a basis for collaboration with Norway's Institute for Energy Technology in the Halden heavy-water research reactor at Kjeller In 1955 construction began on the Netherlands' own research reactor HFR was intended to help the country gain knowledge of nuclear technology and operations through materials research The Ministry of Economic Affairs had a strategy to develop a national industry capable of designing manufacturing and exporting nuclear power technology The ultimate aim was that nuclear power would be introduced from about 1962 to gradually replace much fossil fuel electricity generation construction started on the first nuclear power reactor in the Netherlands a 55 MWe natural circulation boiling water reactor at Dodewaard intended as a test-bed for the national nuclear power industry It was operated by Joint Nuclear Power Plant Netherlands Ltd (GKN) until 1997 when it was shut-down for economic reasons The next nuclear power project was a commercial 452 MWe pressurized water reactor at Borssele Construction started in July 1969 and the plant was connected to the grid in July 1973 It was designed and built by Germany's Kraftwerk Union (Siemens) It is operated by Electricity Generating Company for the Southern Netherlands (EPZ) and was owned by Essent and Delta Energie (50% each) following an extension of its operating lifetime to 2033 a turbine upgrade boosted its capacity from 452 to 482 MWe In 2009 German utility RWE agreed to buy Essent for €8.35 billion and then announced that it was prepared to build new nuclear capacity in Netherlands due to a statute regarding the plant’s ownership the Essent takeover excluded the 50% stake in Borssele so this was placed into a new company – Energy Resources Holding (ERH) – owned by the provincial and municipal authorities comprising Essent's original shareholders The price paid by RWE dropped by €950 million accordingly In May 2011 Delta agreed with RWE that it would buy a further 20% of EPZ/Borssele for €137 million and RWE agreed to pay €609 million for the balance of ERH In August 2022 Amsterdam-based company ULC-Energy signed an agreement designating the Rolls-Royce SMR its preferred technology.  In December 2022 the government outlined plans to extend the operating lifeime of the single PWR unit at Borssele beyond its 2033 licence expiration Technical studies are being carried out by the Authority for Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection (Autoriteit Nucleaire Veiligheid en Stralingsbescherming ANVS)  to determine if the extension is feasible the country's Nuclear Energy Act and the existing agreements with the shareholders of the Borssele plant would have to be amended In the early 1960s, large natural gas reserves were discovered in Netherlands. In combination with the public opinion impact of the Chernobyl accident (see information page on Chernobyl Accident) a new build project was shelved by order of the government In 1994 the Dutch parliament voted to phase out the Borssele nuclear power plant by 2003 The government however ran into legal difficulties to implement that decision the ruling conservative government coalition moved the closure date back to 2013 and in 2005 the phase-out decision was abandoned the Dutch government concluded a contract with the Borssele operators and shareholders The reactor would be allowed to operate until 2034 on certain conditions: it would be maintained to the highest safety standards agreed to invest €250 million towards sustainable energy projects The government added another €250 million in the process avoiding the compensation claim they would have faced had they continued towards early shutdown In September 2006 the environment minister on behalf of the economics minister submitted to parliament a document entitled An accompanying statement said that the government wanted to move to a sustainable energy supply and that the abandonment of its earlier phase-out policy (deferring Borssele's shutdown to 2033-34) was part of a transition strategy and nuclear power could reduce carbon emissions A new nuclear reactor could also be fitted into this transition model The document stated that any new reactor must be a Generation III model with levels of safety being equivalent to those of Areva's (now Framatome) EPR Before its operation and no later than 2016 the government must decide on a disposal strategy for existing high-level waste; used fuel should be stored until 2025 when a choice would be made between direct disposal or partitioning and transmutation; plants should be dismantled promptly after closure and decommissioning funds clearly earmarked; uranium should be sourced from certified environmentally responsible mining operations with in-situ leaching (ISL) preferred due to its low environmental impact In March 2008 the main advisory body of the Dutch government on national and international social and economic policy – the Social and Economic Council (SER) – said that the government should consider expanding nuclear energy in two years when it is was due to evaluate its climate policies In the official government statement on taking office in October 2010 the incoming prime minister noted that the security of energy supply would remain a policy spearhead along with efforts to cut carbon dioxide emissions in line with European targets Hence "the government will be open to issuing permits for new nuclear power plants." The coalition agreement of the then incoming government said: "Regarding energy supply the Netherlands must become less reliant on other countries Energy security must be increased and more attention must be paid to the potential profitability of energy Policy will be guided by the European sustainable energy goals This entails a 20% reduction in CO2 emissions and 14% sustainable energy by 2020 To reduce CO2 emissions and energy dependence Licensing applications to build one or more new nuclear power stations that satisfy the requirements will be granted CO2 can be stored underground subject to strict safety standards and local support but this question will only arise after a licence has been granted for a new nuclear power station." Also "Sustainable energy production must become competitive as quickly as possible" and subsidies for renewables will be cut back a wide-ranging Dutch Energy Accord supported by 46 organizations spanning all sections of the economy was concluded in September 2013 but said that CCS was “unavoidable" in moving to a sustainable energy supply In December 2021 a new coalition government placed nuclear power at the heart of its climate and energy policy A document outlining the policy stated: “Nuclear energy can complement solar wind and geothermal energy in the energy mix and can be used to produce hydrogen." It added: “This government is also taking the necessary steps to build two new nuclear power stations.” Some €500 million in financial support to 2025 towards building new nuclear plants would be provided In September 2008 Delta (then 50% owner of EPZ and Borssele) announced that it would build a second unit at Borssele In June 2009 it embarked upon seeking preliminary approvals for it from the Ministry of Housing Spatial Planning and the Environment (VROM) Delta proposed to start building in 2013 and have a 1600-2500 MWe plant operational in 2018 Delta started environmental assessment procedures and after talks with potential partners in November 2010 signed an agreement with EdF The partnership explored incorporation of a joint development company EdF said it was prepared to invest €2 billion in a minority share of a new plant at Borssele Following the May 2011 buyout of Energy Resources Holding (ERH) RWE was reported as offering to underwrite 20% of the project In January 2012 Delta put the project on hold for 2-3 years due to economic uncertainties When German utility RWE agreed to buy Essent for €8.35 billion in 2009 it announced that it was prepared to build new nuclear capacity in Netherlands Essent's share of EPZ was then placed into a new company – Energy Resources Holding (ERH) – owned by the provincial and municipal authorities comprising Essent's original shareholders In September 2010 ERH applied to build a new nuclear plant at Borssele using one or two Westinghouse AP1000 reactors prospects for new power reactors were revived by the new coalition government Its climate and energy policy stated that the government would take steps to build two new nuclear units (see above) In December 2022 the government said it sees Borssele as the most suitable location for the construction of two new reactors although it would not make a final decision on the location of the two new reactors until the end of 2024 at the earliest each with a capacity of 1000-1650 MWe and provide 9-13% of the Netherlands' electricity production In April 2023 the Netherlands Energy System 2050 Expert Team concluded that nuclear power would have either no role or a limited role in the nation’s energy future The team said that large nuclear plants could overwhelm the country’s grid and disagreed with locating new reactors at the Borssele site The Minister for Climate and Energy Policy said that the experts’ advice would be considered but that “two nuclear power plants should eventually make up about 10 to 13 percent of our electricity mix.” the government released its draft climate funds which included €320 million for the development of nuclear energy €10 million would be used over the period 2023-2025 for extending the operation of the Borssele plant €117 million was allocated for the construction of two new reactors €65 million would go towards building the country's knowledge infrastructure through investments in nuclear skills and €65 million would be used for the development of SMRs The Netherlands had historically pursued research into the gas centrifuge method of uranium enrichment Similar work had been under way in both Germany and the United Kingdom and in 1970 an agreement (the Almelo Treaty) was signed by the three on collaboration in the endeavour a company jointly owned by the three governments In 1979 site works on Urenco enrichment plants began at Almelo in the eastern Netherlands The plants began commercial production of enriched uranium in 1981 and 1982 respectively In 1985 production began at Gronau in western Germany and a Urenco plant based on the same technology began production in New Mexico The production facility for Urenco's centrifuges is located in Almelo in the Netherlands Used nuclear fuel from Dodewaard was recycled at the UK's Thorp facility at Sellafield and that from Borssele at France's La Hague held a contract to recycle Borssele used fuel until 2015 and 375 tonnes had been reprocessed there to mid-2014 Some recycled uranium has been used in the plant for several years and from 2011 EPZ has approval to use MOX fuel (with 5.4% fissile Pu content) as 40% of the fuel load and to replace 4.4% enriched fuel with compensated enriched reprocessed uranium (c-ERU) which will be 4.6% enriched to compensate for U-236 content. First MOX use was in 2014 making Netherlands the sixth European country to do so Under the provisional Conditions for New Nuclear Power Plants document used fuel from new plants would be stored until 2025 when a decision would be taken by government to choose between the preferred treatment of partition and transmutation In the 1970s the Dutch government adopted a policy of reprocessing used nuclear fuel from both the Borssele and Dodewaard reactors In 1984 it decided on a policy of long-term (100 years) interim storage of all the country's radioactive waste; and a research strategy for its ultimate disposal This led to the establishment of the Central Organization for Radioactive Waste (COVRA) A low- and intermediate-level radioactive waste (LILW) management centre was commissioned at Borssele in 1992 which provides for storage of those materials COVRA's HABOG facility – an interim storage for high-level waste (HLW) – was commissioned by Queen Beatrix.*  HABOG has two compartments one for medium-level waste such as canisters containing fuel element claddings after reprocessing of their uranium contents; and one for the vitrified HLW returned after used fuel reprocessing (fission products and transuranics) It stores all the HLW from Dodewaard fuel reprocessed at Sellafield in UK and all the waste returned from reprocessing Borssele fuel at La Hague.  A system of natural convection operates in the second compartment to cool the heat-generating HLW * Initial plans for HABOG foresaw a conservative white box-like design like almost every other nuclear facility COVRA began to think about including a wall painting inside the facility loading hall Discussions with local artist William Verstraeten developed along a theme of 'metamorphosis' in line with the decay of radionuclides in the stored waste decorated with Einstein's E=mc2 as well as Planck's E=hv will be progressively repainted in a range of colours from bright orange to white mirroring the slowdown in heat production from the stored waste four large prints depicting a local natural scene are placed around the inside of the facility Three are backlit transparencies which 'decay' from full colour to bluish The confident image of HABOG and the theme of gaining value from decay have helped COVRA gain public acceptance Government policy is to eventually store HLW underground and to move towards that goal in a way such that each step is reversible the Government-sponsored Committee on Radioactive Waste Disposal (CORA) concluded that geological retrievable disposal is technically feasible in a safe manner the government proposed to make a decision about the siting for final disposal by 2016 COVRA announced plans for the Multifunctional Storage Building (MOG) facility in March 2021 a facility intended to store historical radioactive waste that is currently stored on the site of medical isotope producer NRG in Petten Future decommissioning waste from nuclear installations in the Netherlands would also be placed in the MOG providing sufficient storage capacity until 2050 In August 2022 COVRA applied to the ANVS for a permit change under the Nuclear Energy Act to construct the MOG In June 2023 the ANVS granted the final permit to COVRA for the construction of the facility In 2005 the last fissionable material of the 55 MWe Dodewaard reactor shutdown in 1997 was removed and parts of the plant were demolished The main part has now been sealed and is being monitored (in safestor) to 2045 Most nuclear research in the Netherlands is carried out by the Nuclear Research and Consultancy Group (NRG) which is the product of a merger of the nuclear departments of the Energy Research Centre of the Netherlands (ECN) and KEMA Main areas of international cooperation in research are: High-temperature reactor development (with Germany Japan and South Africa); Actinide transmutation (with European partners); and mixed-oxide fuel development (with Japan) Earlier in 2014 qualification irradiation tests of the spherical fuel elements for China’s HTR-PM reactor were undertaken there In March 2021 it became the first Mo-99 facility in Europe to fully stop using high-enriched uranium (HEU) targets in medical isotope production NRG initiated a project to replace HFR with a new high-flux research reactor called PALLAS located in Petten. It will be a pool type reactor with about 55 MWt power delivering 300 full-power days per year and running on low enriched uranium (<20%). In 2008 three companies bid to supply the reactor: Areva NP (now Framatome) Argentina's INVAP with Spain's Isolux and KAERI (with Korea Power Engineering and Doosan) but no funds were available then and the bids lapsed in 2010 In January 2012 the government approved the new PALLAS reactor and the Ministry of Economic Affairs Agriculture and Innovation said that the government and the province of Noord-Holland would each provide €40 million for the design NRG would progress licensing and call for tenders In December 2013 the Pallas Reactor Preparation Foundation took over the project from NRG with €80 million funding for a fresh start on design The foundation is responsible for attracting funding for construction and commissioning In April 2017 INVAP submitted a new offer to supply the reactor and early in 2018 a contract to design and construct Pallas was awarded to Ichos a consortium consisting of Mobilis and Croonwolter&dros both subsidiaries of TBI Holdings of the Netherlands The cost is expected to be about €580 million and after an initial government loan of €80 million the second phase is to be financed by private companies or institutions In January 2021 it was announced that NRG and Pallas Reactor Preparation Foundation intended to merge into a single organization the Pallas foundation applied to the nuclear regulator for a permit to construct and operate the reactor. The Dutch government is yet to make a final decision on constructing the Pallas reactor. In February 2023 a construction licence was granted by the ANVS for the Pallas research reactor A licence for the reactor's cooling water was granted by Rijkswaterstaat A permit for commissioning is still required with a period of public participation planned for around 2028 The decision on funding for the overall Pallas programme is expected to be made before the end of 2023 Technology & Education – of Radiation) project Installation of the cold neutron source commenced in May 2019 The 1963 Nuclear Energy Act sets out the basic rules for the use of nuclear materials in the Netherlands There have been no major changes in this Act since The Ministry of Economic Affairs is responsible for energy In 2014 ANVS was set up to be an independent administrative authority under the Minister for Infrastructure and the Environment The IAEA conducted an integrated regulatory review service (IRRS) mission later in the year to review these plans ANVS achieved full independence in August 2017 A further IRRS mission in November 2018 reported favourably The Netherlands ratified the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty in 1975 and the Additional Protocol came into force with the ratification by the European Union via Euratom in April 2004 The cabinet announced on 9 December that it currently sees Borssele as the most suitable location for the construction of two new reactors "There is sufficient space here for the construction of new reactors and a great deal of relevant knowledge and (nuclear) infrastructure such as the storage of nuclear waste," it noted "Building two reactors at one location is also more cost efficient The government sees local support as an important condition in the choice of location and is therefore developing a participation plan to involve residents The government said preparations are aimed at the construction of two Generation III+ reactors "This is the most modern type of reactor with improvements in safety fuel technology and efficiency," it said "The first Generation III+ reactors have now been commissioned in other countries there is extensive international practical experience with the planning and financing of this technology This makes the use of Generation III+ reactors the fastest route to a contribution from nuclear energy to a stable CO2-neutral and diverse energy system." these will be completed around 2035 and each will have a capacity of 1000-1650 MWe "The construction of new nuclear power plants requires comprehensive decision-making and careful consideration," the cabinet said the government aims to take a final decision on the location the role of the government and the tender process Various studies will be carried out for this including into environmental effects for specific locations and possible financing models Rotterdam is included as an alternative location in these procedures." The government said it does not expect to be able to make a final choice of location until the end of 2024 at the earliest the country's Nuclear Energy Act and the existing agreements with the shareholders of the Borssele plant must be amended The government noted that technical studies are being carried out "that will show how long and under what conditions the plant can remain open longer in a safe and responsible manner" "Nuclear energy can make an important contribution to a reliable and CO2-free energy supply Local support and preconditions for the arrival of new nuclear power plants are crucial in the choices we make," said Energy Minister Rob Jetten "I therefore think it is important to continue to involve the environment of the possible locations in all future steps." EPZ - operator of the Borssele plant - said it is "pleased with the energetic steps the cabinet is taking to enable the construction of two new nuclear power stations in Borssele" The company added: "EPZ is confident about the conversation that the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate wants to start with the shareholders to make agreements about extending the operating life of the existing nuclear power plant EPZ also endorses the government's vision that the extended operational management with the current nuclear power plant is a bridge to the commissioning of two new nuclear power plants in Borssele." In 2020, EPZ called for an extension to its operation beyond 2033 and/or the construction of two new large reactors at the site in order to help the Netherlands meet its energy and climate goals the Dutch government said KHNP will begin the feasibility study in January It will consider whether the reactor design complies with Dutch legislation and regulations and will develop a more detailed estimate of the costs and time required to build the two new units The possible impact on the environment is also highlighted in the studies The study is expected to last at least six months noting that contracts with Westinghouse of the USA and EDF of France "will follow soon" "These studies are necessary to determine whether it is technically possible and safe to build new nuclear power stations at the preferred location in Borssele," it said "An independent party will then evaluate the technical feasibility studies The first results are expected to be shared in the autumn of 2024." "Nuclear energy helps us on our way to a CO2-free energy system That is why we are busy preparing for the arrival of two new nuclear power stations," said Minister for Climate and Energy Policy Rob Jetten "The three parties that are eligible for this new construction will carry out technical feasibility studies in the coming year The South Korean builder KHNP is now the first to start We have had good discussions with this company and my South Korean colleagues recently And I am pleased that our French and American colleagues will soon be able to get to work too A joint statement from President Yoon and Prime Minister Mark Rutte said: "The two leaders recognised the role nuclear energy can play in enhancing energy security combatting climate change and reaching carbon neutrality and agreed to maintain and further develop bilateral cooperation on nuclear energy topics such as construction and operation of nuclear power plants; workforce development; nuclear fuel; safety; and innovation of gigawatt-scale nuclear reactors small modular reactors and other advanced nuclear reactors." Yoon said: "Based on the nuclear power plant cooperation MoU signed today we will actively support Korean companies with the world's best construction competitiveness to participate in the new nuclear power plant project in the Netherlands." Dutch government has chosen Borssele site as preferred location for two new reactors US-based Westinghouse Electric Company has signed a contract with the Dutch government to conduct a technical feasibility study assessing the deployment of AP1000 reactors in support of the Netherlands’ nuclear new-build strategy Westinghouse said in a press release the study will evaluate deployment of two AP1000 nuclear reactors at the Borssele nuclear power station director-general for climate and energy at the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate signed the contract with Westinghouse with the company’s senior vice-president of energy systems commercial operations the technical feasibility study represents a significant step forward in the Netherland’s ambitious strategy to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 aligning with the European Union's climate goals and the Dutch commitment to carbon-neutral electricity production by 2035 Westinghouse energy systems president David Durham said the study is a “preliminary yet crucial” phase to deliver advanced the AP1000 reactor is the only operating Generation III+ reactor with fully passive safety systems modular construction design and the smallest footprint per MW on the market In the US, at the Vogtle site in Georgia, one AP1000 unit achieved commercial operation in July 2023 and is producing power for the grid while a second unit recently achieved initial criticality with commercial operation projected during the second quarter of 2024 Four AP1000 reactors – two at Sanmen and two at Haiyang – are operating in China with eight additional reactors under construction Poland has chosen the AP1000 reactor for its nuclear energy programme, Ukraine has made firm commitments for nine AP1000 units and Bulgaria selected the AP1000 technology for two units at the Kozloduy nuclear site The technology is also under consideration at multiple other sites in Central and Eastern Europe In December 2022 the Dutch government chose the Borssele site as its preferred location for the proposed construction of two new nuclear power reactor units The government said the units should be deployed by 2035 each have a capacity of between 1,000 MW and 1,650 MW and use Generation III+ reactor technology Energy minister Rob Jetten said in June the Netherlands was talking to “three potential and interested suppliers” to build two new nuclear power plants Reports in the Netherlands said the three were Westinghouse the French state-owned company EDF and South Korea’s Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) There was no mention of two other major nuclear plant suppliers – Russia’s state corporation Rosatom and China’s state-owned China National Nuclear Corporation will install innovative droppable oyster structures at the 752 MW Borssele 1&2 offshore wind farm in the Netherlands to introduce European flat oysters and improve biodiversity in the wind farm The new installation method will allow affordable and manual deployment of oyster broodstock The oyster constructions were designed and tested by Van Oord and Delft University of Technology and are suitable for large-scale application “We want the transition to sustainable energy to also create long-term value for people and nature with a positive effect on the climate and biodiversity. To this end to jointly develop scalable recovery measures that help us achieve a net positive impact on biodiversity,” said Ruben Dijkstra Offshore wind farms provide hard substrate and an undisturbed seabed and are suitable locations to restore the flat oyster population in the North Sea Offshore wind farms are currently located far away from the scare natural oyster reefs which means there is no connection to them To stimulate the development of oyster reefs Both Ørsted and Van Oord have been working for some time to reintroduce the European flay oyster in the Dutch North Sea mainly with oyster structures that have been placed with the help of a crane These are structures containing adult oysters that can reproduce which leads to the settlement of oysters and ultimately reef formation in the wind farms With the innovative droppable oyster structures only a small vessel This means that the structures can easily be included in regular maintenance and repair work which can be carried out on a larger scale The new method will be used at the Borssele 1&2 offshore wind farm from 2024 Located 22 kilometres off the coast of the province of Zeeland, Borssele 1&2 is Ørsted’s first offshore wind farm in the Netherlands The offshore wind farm comprises 94 Siemens Gamesa 8 MW wind turbines and the 752 MW project was fully commissioned at the end of November 2020 Leveraging 20 years of experience with offshore windDecember 2023 will forever mark a milestone in our company history as we became part of the world-wide CS WIND group The acquisition goes beyond a mere change in ownership; it marks a leap into a future where our combined strengths will pave the way for optimized production […] a 482-MW Siemens-built pressurised water reactor unit meaning it has been producing electricity for 50 years the Dutch government chose the Borssele site as its preferred location for the proposed construction of two new nuclear power reactor units The government also said it would begin the legislative process to allow the operating lifetime extension of the existing Borssele unit beyond 2033 the final operation date set by existing legislation A coalition government agreement of 2021 stipulates that the Netherlands should plan to build two nuclear plants after 2030 and extend Borssele’s life The Netherlands plans to achieve climate neutrality by 2050. A September 2022 study found that a nuclear generating capacity of about 9,000 MW would be ‘optimal’ towards these ambitious goals including large-scale nuclear and possibly small modular reactors the new Dutch government presented its coalition agreement One of its most notable measures is the ambition to construct two new nuclear power plants four Dutch parties reached a coalition agreement after months of negotiations The formation of the new government took 299 days One of the new government’s main aims is to tackle climate change: “To be climate neutral in 2050 the Netherlands will tighten the target for 2030 in the Climate Act to at least 55 per cent CO2 reduction.” In the Climate Act of 2019 the Netherlands aims for a reduction of 70% by 2035 and 80% by 2040 the new government says it wants the Netherlands to be a frontrunner in Europe when it comes to combatting global warming It announced a ten-year €35bn climate fund in addition to an existing subsidy scheme for sustainable energy The country's first-ever climate and energy minister will oversee the new fund A CO2 road pricing system will be introduced in 2030 and “energy networks will be made future-proof” The government also wants to make “binding customized agreements” with the ten to 20 biggest greenhouse gas emitters in the country “It is definitely an improvement compared with the last coalition deal,” says Heleen de Coninck professor in socio-technical innovation and climate change at the Eindhoven University of Technology De Coninck is an author of the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report that will be published later this year “The new government has more ambition and that is very necessary as the Netherlands is currently not in line with EU goals and other climate targets,” she adds One of the most remarkable measures is the ambition to construct two new nuclear power plants wind and geothermal energy in the energy mix and can be used for the production of hydrogen,” the Dutch government writes in the coalition agreement “It will make us less dependent on gas imports.” Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis While the Netherlands was known as a large gas supplier, in recent years its reliance on imports has grown due to extraction cuts at the Groningen gas field the Netherlands has become a net importer of gas the Netherlands has one nuclear power plant in operation The plant in Borssele has been playing a small but steady part in Dutch energy generation over the years That equates to just 1% of the total installed electricity generation capacity in the Netherlands the lowest among European countries that produce nuclear power Yet the new cabinet has pledged to take the necessary steps for the construction of two new nuclear power plants It has committed €5bn to this and will facilitate market parties in their explorations Borssele was due for decommissioning in 2033 and has been in use since 1973 Its decommissioning has been delayed before; in 2006 the government decided it would stay open until 2033 instead of 2013 Borssele is already one of the oldest operational nuclear plants in Europe The plant had an intended lifespan of 40 years but under current plans it will be operational for 70–80 years If a nuclear plant has consistently invested in maintenance and improvements a professor in nuclear reactor physics at Delft University of Technology (TU Delft) “A lot of nuclear plants are still in good condition after those initial 40 years “The government set the benchmark that Borssele has to stay in the top 25% of safest plants to be built by EDF as a successor to its Hinkley Point C project Brussels-based nuclear industry association Foratom thinks the Netherlands is sending a positive signal to other member states with its decision to include nuclear power in its electricity mix the Netherlands had not planned on developing new nuclear but rather extending the life of its existing nuclear power plant,” says Jessica Johnson from Foratom it is sending a positive message at EU level because it shows that a member state that was not planning on new nuclear initially has come back to its decision to be able to achieve its climate goals We hope to see more member states following suit soon.” “The Dutch decision to invest in nuclear could strengthen the position of France on this matter the Netherlands’ stance on the Taxonomy will matter more,” says de Coninck the Dutch House of Representatives passed a motion that gas should not be labelled 'green' the House of Representatives also voted for a motion to include nuclear energy in the EU Taxonomy “They find themselves in a conundrum,” says Johnson “If they want nuclear included in the Taxonomy [Keep up with Energy Monitor: Subscribe to our weekly newsletter] the plans for two new nuclear plants are also stirring debate “There are few topics that split society as much as nuclear energy,” says de Coninck “It seems you have to be either for or against it.” De Coninck thinks the step towards more nuclear was not unexpected given the political situation of the country “I suspect it is a politically motivated compromise for the strict and ambitious emission goals,” she says “Two of the big parties in the coalition are pro-nuclear The argument is that we need a backup for all the variable energy from wind and solar and they say that nuclear would be the most suitable and CO2-free candidate although various studies indicate there are other Most future electricity will be generated by renewables So the question is how often the nuclear plants would operate Who wants to invest in a nuclear power plant that is only operational 25% of the time?” the liberal pro-business People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy and centre-right Christian Democratic Appeal expressed a desire to invest in nuclear energy The other two parties that now form part of the coalition the left-of-centre liberal Democrats 66 and the conservative Christian Union were not against new nuclear plants if they are “sustainable and reliable” Kloosterman argues that the Dutch choice for nuclear makes sense considering the urgency of net-zero goals “While the two new nuclear power plants won’t be able to contribute to the 2030 targets To reach net zero in 2050 we must consider every option It seems logical to me to give serious consideration to nuclear as part of the mix.” Kloosterman thinks it unlikely that any new nuclear technologies such as thorium-based generation will be ready in time for the two new plants “If you want to make sure the plants contribute to 2050 goals light-water reactors are the only option.” Since the last nuclear power plant in the Netherlands was built more than 50 years ago there is also a lack of knowledge and expertise in the country while not having done that in half a century “If we want to start building nuclear power plants we have to start training new people as soon as possible.” Education on all levels would need upscaling expertise and research positions that have disappeared over the years would need to be brought back we used to have a chair in nuclear reactor technology,” says Kloosterman “That professor retired around a decade ago but was never replaced With the renewed interest in the construction of nuclear power plants it is necessary to start increasing the capacity in education on a national level.” This is also why Kloosterman thinks it is important to extend the lifespan of the only plant in the country “It is important to keep that kind of experience in the Netherlands the people who understand the operation of a power plant That is why I think it is a wise decision to keep Borssele operational so you can keep that experience until the new power plants are built.” the Dutch government’s plans for the new nuclear plants are still in their early stages de Coninck warns the country should not rely too much on nuclear “Building a power plant takes a lot of time and resources," she says you are stuck with an unreliable electricity grid or you miss your climate targets If the government initiates the building of new nuclear plants A report on public opinion on climate change and the energy transition from Statistics Netherlands in 2020 showed that the Dutch are divided on nuclear energy: around 25% think the Netherlands should invest more in nuclear 18% think less and 25% think the use of nuclear should stop altogether The actual realisation of new Dutch nuclear plants also depends on whether there are energy businesses interested in building and operating them These private sector players have yet to step forward the government needs to make sure there are clear agreements on the completion of the projects “Businesses need that guarantee before investing in such a big project," he says "The government could play a critical role in minimising risks by establishing that once this process is started it will be completed and that the plant could sell the produced electricity for a cost-effective price.” View all newsletters from across the GlobalData Media network The government said it would also begin a legislative process to allow the operating lifetime extension of the existing Borssele unit beyond 2033 a final date set by the local Nuclear Energy Act currently in force Actual steps in the licence extension process will need to be taken by plant operator EPZ subject to approval by the local nuclear regulatory authority ANVS Borssele has “sufficient space” for new build and houses existing infrastructure including a radioactive waste repository run by Covra The government said that it aims to take a final decision on the location and a tendering process by the end of its term in office A coalition government agreement from 2021 stipulates that the Netherlands would seek to build two nuclear reactors after 2030 and extend the life of its only existing commercial reactor The next general elections in the Netherlands are set for March 2025 unless a snap election is called earlier because of unforeseen political reasons The government said 2024 is the earlier time by which final decisions about the nuclear new-build project could realistically be made The statement also said Rotterdam is a possible alternative location for nuclear new-build to be considered in the process The Netherlands plans to achieve climate neutrality by 2050. A recent study found that a nuclear generating capacity of about 9,000 MW would be ‘optimal’ towards these ambitious goals, including large-scale nuclear and possibly small modular reactors. The study warned that the costs of nuclear power plants under construction in Europe are “much higher than expected”, but said potential problems could be mitigated if the government became closely involved in the development and financing of nuclear energy projects. The governing coalition agreement from 2021 saw €5bn earmarked by 2030 for supporting the nuclear new-build plans, with an initial cap of €50m in 2023, followed by €200m in 2024 and €250m in 2025. No preliminary figures have at this stage been estimated about the cost of the actual deployment of two new nuclear plants in the Netherlands. 2024 The existing nuclear power plant at Borssele Photo: A Nagel via Wikimedia CommonsThe Dutch government has been warned it is likely to have to meet the majority of the cost of building two new nuclear power stations The cabinet has sounded out options to build a second plant at Borssele The previous government had hoped that private investors would meet much of the cost of building and running the facilities But investors see nuclear power as a riskier enterprise than developments such as wind farms because the developments take a long time to build and are subject to delays That means it can take a decade or more before they see a return on their investment NRC quoted a source saying that the coalition accepted it would probably have to foot most of the bill itself “That’s how it is with nuclear plants in other European countries at the moment” Ministers see nuclear power as essential to meeting the country’s energy needs after the shutdown of the Groningen gas field last year The right-wing government also wants to wind down subsidies for renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power had hoped to persuade large-scale investors such as pension funds to contribute to the development costs but only if it was guaranteed returns based on the plant’s future income That would require the government to forward-fund the payments until the facility started making money Nuclear power stations in other European countries have gone several times over budget partly because of delays during construction The Flamanville 3 station in France was scheduled to be finished within five years and cost €3 billion but the project is now 12 years overdue and the total bill has risen to €13 billion former head of climate and energy at the government’s environmental planning agency PBL told NRC there were doubts about whether nuclear power was the most efficient form of energy in the long term “The scale of the investment doesn’t seem to be the biggest problem to me,” he said “But the risks associated with it are The trouble is that electricity from a nuclear power station is more expensive than from offshore wind and solar.” We could not provide the Dutch News service without the generous support of our readers Your donations allow us to report on issues you tell us matter and provide you with a summary of the most important Dutch news each day Many thanks to everyone who has donated to DutchNews.nl in recent days We could not provide this service without you Please help us making DutchNews.nl a better read by taking part in a short survey One of the turbines at the Borssele 1 & 2 offshore wind farm in the Netherlands has malfunctioned which subsequently led to a fire in the unit’s nacelle No employees were present when the fire broke out and no one was injured adding that the wind turbine manufacturer Siemens Gamesa is now investigating the cause of the failure The damaged wind turbine has been dismantled and the developer is now examining which parts of the turbine can be reused The offshore wind farm continues to operate with the exception of the damaged turbine and two other turbines which are directly connected to it Ørsted is working to get these two turbines back online as soon as possible as they have not suffered any damage and show no abnormalities Borssele 1 & 2 comprises 94 Siemens Gamesa 8 MW turbines, the last of which was installed in early September 2020 with the offshore wind farm fully commissioned in November 2020 The 752 MW Borssele 1 & 2, now the largest operational offshore wind farm in the Netherlands, was inaugurated last month a year after all of its turbines were put in place Borssele III and IV offshore wind farm is a 731.5MW wind project located 22km offshore the Zeeland province in the Netherlands Borssele III and IV offshore wind farm is a 731.5MW wind project deployed in the Dutch North Sea about 22km offshore the Zeeland province in the Netherlands The project was developed by the Blauwwind consortium The Dutch Minister of Economic Affairs selected the Blauwwind consortium for the construction of the wind farm in December 2016 The investment for the project construction is €1.3bn ($1.5bn) and it achieved financial closure in June 2018 the wind farm began operations in August 2020 and reached its full operational capacity in February 2021 The facility will generate 3,000GWh of energy annually which will be enough to power approximately 825,000 households a year The Borssele III and IV offshore wind farm is situated on a 146km² area approximately 55km from the Port of Vlissingen in the Borssele wind farm zone (BWFZ) The BWFZ consists of five wind farm sites and can generate more than 1,400MW of energy by 2020 Borssele III and IV offshore wind farm features 77 MHI Vestas V164 9.5MW wind turbines which have been installed on monopiles in a water depth between 16m and 38m Each monopile is 85m long and weighs 1,280t The wind turbines were connected to the transformer substation through 66kV cables The project includes the Borssele Beta offshore transformer substation which was designed and constructed by TenneT Netherlands’ national electricity transmission system operator The offshore substation was installed by April 2020 and its connection to the wind farm was completed in July 2020 A service operations vessel (SOV) performs maintenance of the wind farm Construction of the wind farm commenced in 2019 The offshore construction activities included the installation of scour protection and monopoles through its offshore installation vessel Aeolus had installed the first monopile foundation All the 77 monopile foundations were installed by the end of April 2020 Van Oord began the installation of the wind turbines in May 2020 Blauwwind achieved the first power from the wind farm in August 2020 Installation of the last turbine at the wind farm was completed by the end of November 2020 The wind farm became fully operational in February 2021 The cables were installed after the monopoles Van Oord’s Nexus cable-laying vessel which has a cable carousel capacity of 5,000t was used to lay the cables The vessel completed the installation of four out of the 12 cables connecting the wind farm by April 2020 Van Oord’s new AdBm Sound Mitigation System also helped in reducing underwater noise during pile driving works The power produced by the turbines is transported to the Borssele Beta offshore transformer substation The power is then transferred to the onshore substation through 220kV export cables which converts the power into 380kV before feeding into the national electricity grid Power purchase agreement for Borssele III and IV wind farm Shell and Eneco Group each receive 50% of electricity produced by the project under a power purchase agreement (PPA) signed with the Blauwwind consortium Blauwwind will be paid €54.49/MWh ($63.27/MWh) under the Dutch SDE+ scheme during the first 15 years of the power plant operation The power will be subsequently sold at prevailing market prices Van Oord was selected as the balance-of-plant contractor for the project The company was responsible for the engineering and construction of the wind farm’s foundations and inter-array cables Sif Holding won a contract to construct the 77 monopiles for the wind farm MHI Vestas was responsible for the supply and maintenance of the wind turbines Mott MacDonald was contracted to provide technical advisory and construction and operation monitoring services for the project Green Giraffe is the financial advisor for the Borssele III and IV offshore wind farm The project was part of the Netherlands Energy Agreement plan developed by the Dutch government to achieve 4.5GW of offshore wind capacity by 2024 through the Borssele Holland Coast (South) and Holland Coast (North) offshore zones A follow-up roadmap announced in 2018 aims to achieve an additional 7GW of offshore wind capacity by 2030 Ørsted developed the 752MW Borssele I and II wind farm which was fully commissioned in November 2020 The 19MW Borssele V wind farm was awarded to the Two Towers consortium Investri Offshore and Green Giraffe Holding View all newsletters from across the GlobalData Media network Operator EPZ preparing for long-term operation The operator of the Netherlands’ only commercial nuclear power station has shown it is committed to ensuring operational safety and reliability but should improve its radiation protection programme An International Atomic Energy Agency team of experts said plant radiation protection practices for contamination control dose planning and control of radioactive sources should be enhanced at the Borssele nuclear station to meet the requirements of the plant’s radiation protection programme The team said operator EPZ should also improve implementation of operator support systems to prevent the use of non-authorized operating documentation The team said operators have developed an easily applicable matrix to visualise ageing management activities to ensure effective ageing management at the 482-MW pressurised water reactor unit In December, the Dutch government chose the Borssele site as its preferred location for the proposed construction of two new nuclear power reactor units The Dutch Council of Ministers has approved plans for construction of two new nuclear power units with Borssele in the Netherlands as the preferred location The decision was taken today after extensive preparation including consultation with the province of Zeeland and municipalities after which the power stations can supply 9-13% of the total electricity The decision was taken after extensive preparation The choice of Borssele excludes the other potential locations Eemshaven is permanently excluded while Maasvlakte is reserved primarily for hydrogen installations Minister for Climate and Energy Rob Jetten said Maasvlakte (Rotterdam) is still seen as a "reasonable alternative" on the basis of environmental requirements The cabinet is committed to Generation III + reactors which are already in operation which minimises the development risk adding that these plants can be load following and so fit well with solar and wind energy The accelerated approach consists of different processes that can begin at the same time waste storage considerations and financing The construction period is expected to last 6-8 years while Russia and China build most of the nuclear reactors in the world and therefore have the most experience "It is a current policy that these companies will not receive tenders for nuclear infrastructure." The cabinet considers that the security risk is too great given sanctions applied to those two states three other countries with Generation III + reactor experience are being considered – France Borssele was chosen because it already hosts a NPP The single-unit pressurised water reactor accounts for about 3% of the country's electricity production is currently licensed to operate until 2033 Jetten has issued a letter of intent or its continued operation The Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection Authority (ANVS) will assess whether this is technically feasible and safe the cabinet prevents more electricity from being produced by closing with fossil fuels and the Netherlands becoming more dependent on the import of energy the existing nuclear power plant contributes to the preservation of nuclear knowledge and research The cabinet considers it impossible that suppliers would want to finance the plants and so the government will take part as a co-investor from the start Suppliers have made it clear that the government must provide public support and stable government policy Officials have paid working visits to other countries with nuclear power plants such as Finland Jetten has also conducted research in the US and discussions have been held with international organisations such as the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) The cabinet has reserved an "indicative budget" of €5 billion ($5.34bn) for the plants Jetten said he hopes to minimise the chance of postponement or budget overrun by thorough preparation One of the common risks is that politics changes its opinion on nuclear energy and may tighten the requirements Jetten therefore wants to look for broad support in the Chamber "so that it can survive longer than one cabinet period," he said The cabinet is still positive about the idea of small modular reactors (SMRs) but is not in a hurry Although these are probably cheaper and faster to build the cabinet does not want to be one of the first to test this new technology The option remains open for the future and will therefore be investigated 10 Dec (NucNet): The single-unit Borssele nuclear power station in the Netherlands continues to operate as one of the top 25% water-cooled and water-moderated power reactors in the EU a committee established to evaluate the facility has concluded The Borssele benchmark committee said in its latest report that the results of a benchmarking exercise indicate that from the design point of view Borssele remains well within the top 25% safest reactors The committee said the facility’s favourable score is the result of “prudent original design but even more because of continuous safety improvement programmes that have taken place since 1986 in particular due to periodic safety reviews”.The five-person independent committee carried out its last review of Borssele Reviews are every five years with the next one scheduled for 2023.The purpose of the reviews is to determine whether EPZ is ensuring that Borssele a 482-MW pressurised water reactor unit that began commercial operation in October 1973 continues to be among the top 25% of nuclear reactors surveyed The reviews are part of an agreement not to close the plant in 2013 – as was politically intended – but to allow it to continue operation until 31 December 2033 if safety requirements are met.The latest review also says Borssele’s safety performance in reactor operations and safety management compares well to that of the 25% best-performing reactors.The facility’s ageing management programme was benchmarked against a peer group of five water-cooled and water-moderated reactors and was found to be “comparable to that of its peers”.The committee noted that safety culture cannot be benchmarked in the same way as other aspects of performance Safety culture often reflects the attitudes beliefs and behaviour that employees share in relation to safety and how management influences this behaviour values and beliefs do not easily lend themselves to measurement attributes can be identified that shape or influence safety culture.”In June 2006 the Dutch government and EPZ and its shareholders agreed to end Borssele’s operating life no later than 31 December 2033 if a number of conditions are met One of those conditions is that EPZ meets the top 25% target.The committee compared Borssele to 236 similar reactor units that were in commercial operation as of 31 December 2016 According to the International Atomic Energy Agency there are 454 reactors in commercial operation globally.The committee developed its own methodology noting that there are no internationally harmonised evaluations available for all safety aspects of a nuclear power reactor that express the safety “in one well-defined number” Requirements for nuclear safety are established in most countries in line with IAEA safety standards and with guidelines set by the Western European Nuclear Regulators Association and the European Nuclear Safety Regulators Group the responsibility lies with the national regulatory authorities and despite the efforts of the international organisations to harmonise these requirements and the importance attached to various safety aspects is not necessarily uniform The committee said the new report reflects three recent developments in the industry: post-Fukushima studies the wider use of IAEA long-term operation review missions and “the increased worldwide consciousness about the importance of safety culture” 24 January] EPZ's Borssele nuclear power plant in Netherlands completed a EUR43 million ($56 million) turbine replacement in December 2006 including new rotor and blades for the turbine; new water separators; replacement of the turbine's measuring control and safety system; and replacing the generator stator by way of a precaution The project followed a mid-2006 extension of its operating life to 2033 ZWIJNDRECHT, Belgium – DEME Offshore’s sister installation vessels Sea Installer and Sea Challenger have installed 94 turbines at Ørsted’s Borssele 1 & 2 wind farm in the Dutch North Sea The first turbine was installed in April 2020 the turbine installation phase has been completed This is the first time Siemens Gamesa’s 8 MW offshore wind turbines will be used for a commercial project The 94 SG 8.0-167 DD turbines have a tip height of 200 m (656 ft) and a rotor diameter of 167 m (548 ft) The 752-MW Borssele 1 & 2 wind farm is 22 km (14 mi) off the coast of the Dutch province of Zeeland in water depths ranging from 14 to 39.7 m (46 to 130 ft) It is expected to deliver electricity for one million Dutch households Henrik Egholm, EPC director Borssele 1 & 2 for Ørsted and turbines was completed in nine months produces enough power for nearly 825,000 Dutch homes UK-based Octopus Energy’s generation arm Octopus Energy Generation has reached an agreement to acquire a 10% stake in the 732MW Dutch offshore wind farm Borssele III & IV from Partners Group Partners Group will completely exit the project the company bought a 45% stake in the project it sold a 20% interest to Swiss Life Asset Managers and this July it offloaded a 15% stake to Nuveen Infrastructure The agreement is part of Octopus’ recent plan to invest up to $20bn (£16.17bn) in offshore wind globally. Earlier this month, the company agreed to invest in Norwegian renewables developer Deep Wind Offshore which has a pipeline of projects in Norway Octopus Energy Generation fund management team co-head Alex Brierley said: “Investing in one of Europe’s largest wind farms in the Netherlands is a really exciting milestone as we only entered the Dutch renewables market last year “We have got big ambitions to supercharge the green energy transition globally Offshore wind farms like these are boosting energy security and creating a more sustainable energy system for everyone.” Partners Group managing director and private infrastructure Europe co-head David Daum said: “The sale of Partners Group’s remaining stake in Borssele marks the end of our five-year journey with the project Borssele is positioned to make a meaningful contribution towards decarbonisation goals in the Netherlands “We are pleased to hand Borssele over to the new shareholder group following a transaction that highlights continued strong demand for high-quality infrastructure assets.” Borssele III & IV is located 55km from the Port of Vlissingen in the Dutch North Sea and is powered by 77 Vestas turbines The wind farm has been operational since 2021 and generates 3,000 gigawatt-hours of clean energy that can power nearly 825,000 Dutch homes Partners Group stated that this project benefits from a feed-in premium regime supported by the Dutch Government Octopus Energy Generation will join other owners of the project including Eneco ROTTERDAM, the Netherlands – Ørsted and Van Oord have installed all 94 array cables connecting the turbines of the Borssele 1 & 2 offshore wind farm in the Dutch North Sea Van Oord’s cable-laying vessel Nexus installed the cables that Nexans fabricated the companies expect to finalize the cable burial campaign with Van Oord’s trencher Dig-It Borssele 1 & 2 is Ørsted’s first offshore wind farm in the Netherlands It is 22 km (14 mi) off the coast of the Dutch province of Zeeland in water depths ranging from 14 to 39.7 m (46 to 130 ft) The 752-MW wind farm is expected to be completed this year