Focus on: high-tech and fuel mix

‘There is no such thing as the fuel of the future. In the coming decades we will need to generate our electricity using a mix of fossil fuels and renewable sources. We intend to invest in the technologies we’ve mastered. So that rules out nuclear energy. Not that we have anything against nuclear generation; we simply lack the knowhow. What we are good at is burning natural gas and waste gas from the blast furnaces at IJmuiden that would otherwise disappear into the air. We are also at home with coal gasification; the knowledge acquired through our power station at Buggenum is now being harnessed at Magnum, our new multi-fuel power station (coal, gas and biomass). The great advantage of coal gasification over the current coal-firing technologies is that it is cleaner in terms of nearly all harmful emissions. What’s more, the carbon dioxide can be easily captured and biomass can be added to the fuel mix. Note, incidentally, that biofuel is not the cure-all solution for the future either. We see biomass mainly as a temporary aid that is suitable for getting rid of waste materials, for instance. Using biofuels to meet the entire energy demand would cause significant problems. For one thing, it would put pressure on the food chain. So for the more distant future, the answer must be found in genuinely renewable sources. We are actively investing in such solutions. The Helianthos solar project that we purchased in 2006 is one example of this. And we are naturally also pressing ahead with wind energy which, given the current high oil prices (on the continent), is already almost profitable.’

Ruut Schalij, Corporate Development & Strategy Director

This viewpoint is published in Sustainable Nuon 2006 magazine. In this magazine, the reader is guided through eight key issues that are currently confronting our sector and company; we explain our viewpoints and their relevance to the wider world. You can order the magazine through the order form on this website.