New Nuclear in the Netherlands

Nuclear energy is experiencing a renaissance driven by energy security concerns, net-zero targets, and technological progress.

The Netherlands currently operates one nuclear power plant in Borssele (generating ~3% of the electricity mix) and has set plans to reach 7 GW of nuclear capacity by 2050.

SMRs are developing fast and hold the promise of driving costs down through serial production, with potential use cases across steel, chemicals, data centers, hydrogen, and shipping.

Views on SMRs differ across the nuclear value chain, creating uncertainty about their feasibility, deployment and future role. Their potential will depend on clear governance, effective risk-sharing, public-private partnerships, international learning and realistic timelines.

Key conclusions

• Nuclear can play an important role in the energy system: it strengthens resilience as it lowers our dependence on fossil fuels and provides baseload renewable power; costs need to be assessed against the benefits of increased energy security and potential lower system costs

• SMRs are technically feasible and, thanks to their modular design, have significant potential for cost reductions. However, they must still prove economic competitiveness through learning-by-doing as deployment scales

• SMRs are not a short term silver bullet, but beyond supplying low carbon baseload power they can complement industrial decarbonisation pathways (e.g., electrified chemical cracking, electric arc furnace steelmaking) and help cut emissions in hard to abate sectors

If you'd like to discuss what this means for your business, read the PoV for an analysis and required actions. Get in touch with us via the contacts below.