Vattenfall's last coal-fired power plant in the Netherlands, Hemweg 8 near Amsterdam, was closed down on 23 December. The closure is the result of legislation by the Dutch government that has decided to phase out coal production in the country.
Alexander van Ofwegen, director of Heat & Production at Vattenfall Netherlands says: “Vattenfall sees no future for coal and in the coal phase-out discussion in the Netherlands we have been clear from the start that we were open to early closure of Hemweg 8.”
The Dutch Senate recently passed a law banning the use of coal for electricity generation in the country. That law provides for ‘fair compensation’ by the Dutch state for the closure of the power plant – five years earlier than planned.
Hemweg 8 was inaugurated in 1994 and has an installed capacity for electricity generation of 650 MW. Dismantling will start later this year. The Vattenfall-site on Hemweg will in the future function as a fossil-free hub for electricity and heat, both in production, as well as in transit and temporary storage of energy. Almost all of the 200 employees at Hemweg 8 have been offered employment elsewhere in Vattenfall or will retire.
As part of the transformation of the energy sector in the Netherlands, Vattenfall is investing in renewable electricity generation through, above all, wind and solar power. Among other things, Vattenfall has won the concession for the offshore wind farms Hollandse Kust Zuid 1-4 with a total installed capacity of 1500 MW. This is the world's largest wind farm built without subsidies.
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