This is the final version of the Dutch Integrated National Energy and Climate Plan 2021-2030 (NECP). The NECP contains the main priorities of the climate and energy policy for the next 10 years. The contents are largely determined by the Climate Agreement, established in June 2019 involving over a hundred social (public and private) parties . This agreement contains a package of measures, which are actively supported by as many contributing parties as possible and with which the political CO2 reduction target of 49% will be achieved by 2030. To supplement the (new, national) measures in the Climate Agreement, the NECP also contains (i) policy arising from European obligations, (ii) ongoing policy and (iii) policy announced in the Coalition Agreement, but which is not part of the Climate Agreement. The recommendations of the European Commission related to the draft NECP have been incorporated in this final version . The NECP contains parts taken from the Climate Plan, which will be presented to Parliament simultaneously. The figures in the final version of the NECP are based on the Climate and Energy Report (KEV) 2019 by the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency (PBL). The Climate Act stipulates that the KEV must be published annually. For 2020 and 2030, the KEV 2019 provides an insight into the targets for renewable energy, energy savings and CO2 reductions. A large part of the Climate Agreement could not yet be incorporated in the KEV 2019. Therefore, the Climate Agreement memorandum supplements the KEV 2019 in indicating the impact of the Climate Agreement on the capacity to achieve a 49% CO2 reduction by 2030. The Netherlands aims to make a substantial contribution to the Paris Agreement and therefore the government is taking measures that contribute to a 49 % reduction in greenhouse gases in 2030, compared with 1990. In Europe the Netherlands advocates a 55 % reduction in emissions by 2030. One of the agreements in the 2017 Coalition Agreement was the announcement of a Climate Agreement, which would, following the Energy Agreement concluded in 2013, enable us to take the next step towards a climate-neutral society and a reliable, affordable, secure and low CO2 energy supply by 2050.
National targets consist of targets the government has established for the Netherlands and targets that constitute a national interpretation of European policy. The national climate targets are established in the Climate Act (see Chapter 1.2 ii). The Climate Act focuses on CO2. This means that it is not based on sub-targets such as the share of renewable energy and energy savings. The focus on CO2 strives to base policy on the most efficient solutions. Renewable energy and energy savings are part of these solutions, but the final scenario is left open, in line with the principles of technology neutrality and cost efficiency. The greenhouse gas emission target of 49% by 2030 compared with 1990, proposed in the Coalition Agreement, means a reduction of approximately 49 Mton of CO2 equivalents by 2030 compared with an unchanged policy. This includes the effects of the circular economy policy. For the discussions about the Climate Agreement, indicative CO2 reduction challenges for the five sectors comprising industry, mobility, the built-up environment, electricity, agriculture and land use were formulated, based on national cost-effectiveness. Combating climate change requires a climate-neutral electricity system. It must take into account increasing demand for electricity that exists because other sectors, such as industry and mobility, are switching from fossil fuels to electricity, partly due to climate policy. The limited availability of renewable sources in the Netherlands is an important point of concern. With this commitment, the share of renewable electricity of total electricity generated in 2030 is expected to amount to 70 percent. Due to the transition to renewable sources, electricity generation will be more dependent on weather conditions. In order to be able to guarantee supply security with an energy mix largely consisting of wind and solar power, a growing need for flexibility is required, which will be achieved via the market. It is also relevant from the point of view of security of supply that sufficient controllable power is provided, which will increasingly have to be CO2 free.