NETHERLANDS

The Netherlands joined the Powering Past Coal Alliance in 2017, the year it was launched. That year, the country announced a coal phaseout date of 2029. The current Dutch coal fleet is young. All three remaining plants began operating in 2015 and 2016, meaning that they are expected to operate for less than half of their expected lifetime. In 2019, the Dutch government passed a legal ban on electricity production with coal to go into effect by 2030. The Dutch Supreme Court also confirmed a verdict requiring the government to reach a 25% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2020 relative to 1990. In early 2020, the government proposed 54 potential extra measures, which included closing a remaining coal plant ahead of 2029 and downscaling production. Later that year, the Climate Minister called on coal plant operators to investigate the cost of coal plant closures. In 2022, following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Dutch government lifted a cap that restricted coal-fired power plants to operate at 35% of their maximum output. In 2023, the Netherlands was working to build an international coalition towards the global phaseout of fossil fuel subsidies.