[hermit]

From 1990 revision of "The population explosion":

"... But when the gas fields, which repesent about 20 years worth of Dutch energy consumption at current rates, are exhausted, Holland will once again depend heavily on the rest of the world for fossil fuel and Uranium"


We're almost at Erlich's 20 years prediction. Can anyone give a current perspective on Dutch PO? Is it arriving? Arrived early? Postponed?

[Gerben]

We are at plateau and will be for a few more years. A number of measures have been taken:
- the governement has stimulated exploration of smaller gas fields even though exploitation at the time was not economic - this has delayed peak
- the government has successfully promoted energy conservation and use of waste heat (the Netherlands have a lot of CHP installations)
- we import foreign gas - part of that gas is stored in old gas fields and exported again at a higher price in winter
- 3 LNG terminals are being built at the moment to import foreign LNG - part of it again for export
The goverment is promoting sustainable development:
- the government is promoting the production, upgrading and feedin of biogas into the gas grid
- technology is being developed to convert woody materials to NG (waste wood, straw and imported wood)
- industry is developing methods to use sustainable feedstocks; a methanol factory has switched from NG to waste from biodiesel plants and is now running profitably on a commercial basis

[hermit]

We are at plateau and will be for a few more years. A number of measures have been taken:
- the governement has stimulated exploration of smaller gas fields even though exploitation at the time was not economic - this has delayed peak
- the government has successfully promoted energy conservation and use of waste heat (the Netherlands have a lot of CHP installations)
- we import foreign gas - part of that gas is stored in old gas fields and exported again at a higher price in winter
- 3 LNG terminals are being built at the moment to import foreign LNG - part of it again for export
The goverment is promoting sustainable development:
- the government is promoting the production, upgrading and feedin of biogas into the gas grid
- technology is being developed to convert woody materials to NG (waste wood, straw and imported wood)
- industry is developing methods to use sustainable feedstocks; a methanol factory has switched from NG to waste from biodiesel plants and is now running profitably on a commercial basis

Really appreciated, Gerben.