Amsterdam — Major energy users in the Netherlands will have to implement measures to reduce consumption from the start of 2023, the Dutch government said on Monday, as part of efforts to reduce CO2 emissions and end reliance on Russian fossil fuels.
The rule will make it mandatory for companies to invest in all possible energy saving measures if the investment can be recovered within five years, the government said, adding that this will save 19 petajoules of gas and 7 petajoules of electricity per year by 2030 – the equivalent of 4 million barrels of oil.
“Energy we don’t use, we don’t have to produce, pay for or import,” Energy Minister Rob Jetten said in a statement announcing the plans. “Companies can make a big contribution.”
The government said it is drafting specific conservation measures this summer and will fund regulators to enforce the decision.
Major users are defined as those that use either 50,000 kilowatt hours of electricity annually or 25,000 cubic metres of gas.
In April the government announced plans to stop using Russian fossil fuels by 2023 and introduced a national energy savings programme for consumers.
- Reuters
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