All three coal-fired power plants in the Netherlands will soon operate at full capacity due to gas shortages in the coming winter, the newspaper Het Financieele Dagblad reported.
According to the publication, the Dutch government is already preparing amendments to the legislation necessary to bring facilities to full capacity.
On Jan. 1, rules came into effect in the country that allows coal-fired power plants to operate at only 35% of their maximum capacity to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. However, now all restrictions will be lifted.
“Increasing the capacity of coal-fired power plants will increase CO2 emissions, but at the same time, it will save large amounts of natural gas and make it easier to fill gas storage facilities for the winter,” writes Het Financieele Dagblad.
A similar decision was made the other day by Germany. On March 31, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree that, from April 1, determines a new procedure for paying for Russian gas supplies by buyers from unfriendly countries.
Such countries must also transfer funds in foreign currencies to Gazprombank, which will buy rubles on exchanges and transfer them to special ruble accounts of importers.
At the same time, Russia will continue to supply gas in the volumes and at the prices fixed in the contracts concluded earlier. Many companies, including those in the Netherlands, refused to comply with this requirement.