There is a complicated issue on the formation table of the political parties. If the nitrogen problem is not solved, the energy transition and the reduction of CO2 emissions will be endangered.
Those two headache files are linked by investments from international business. Innovative and clean industry would like to invest in the Netherlands, but is unable to do so because of the nitrogen rules.
Economic activities such as traffic, agriculture, construction and other activities lead to more nitrogen in the air, which is deposited in nature reserves. In order to comply with European nature regulations, nitrogen emissions in the Netherlands must be reduced.
At the same time, there are the climate objectives, which can only be achieved if more clean companies can get to work.
North sees investments evaporating
In the industrial area in Eemshaven and Delfzijl in the province of Groningen, there are plenty of companies that want to invest in the energy transition. For example, a new chemical company that emits less CO2, or a company that converts wind energy into hydrogen. This is potentially close to 3 billion euros. But they are not allowed to expand their activities because of the nitrogen regulations.
“The chemical industry is large here and provides a lot of employment”, says deputy Henk Staghouwer (ChristenUnie). “We want to facilitate the companies to become greener, we want to move to a hydrogen economy, but we are running into nitrogen rules.”
“We are hitting it hard,” says Cas König of Groningen Seaports. “Companies that have invented innovative and clean production methods here are moving to Asia to implement it there.”
Legal Jousting
It’s not about the money yet. With 5 billion euros in ten years, the cabinet wants to restore nature areas and help companies (including farms) with nitrogen measures or buy out. The problem is that now inadequate happens.
“It has become a legal joust,” says Staghouwer. If Groningen wants to invest economically, the nitrogen emissions in the direction of all nature reserves in the Netherlands must be compensated. This also applies to the province of Limburg. The rules are so complicated that provinces cannot agree on each other, he says.
“How you can offset that against each other is not regulated in the new nitrogen law,” says König. “It is a national problem and we have been waiting for two years for the cabinet to do something about this.”
For many companies it all takes too long. For example, the Netherlands is missing out on billions in investments. The CEO of the Port of Rotterdam Authority estimates the missed investments for the Rijnmond region alone at 4.5 billion euros.
“And that’s just one area. It also happens in Zeeland, Brabant, Limburg and the north,” says a spokesperson for VNO-NCW. “In the longer term, this will hurt the Netherlands on several fronts: sustainability, economic development and jobs.”
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