Poland Surges Towards Energy Sovereignty | 40 comments (40 topical, editorial, 0 hidden)

World's Largest Gas Field Slochteren Nears End (none / 1)

The dash away from gas: how the Netherlands kicked a big fossil fuel habit
The Netherlands plans to abandon its gas grid and use this monumental shift to drive the decarbonisation of its wider built environment. Natural gas is to the Netherlands what oil is to the Gulf States and it has completely shaped its economic and industrial legacy. In 1959, the ninth largest natural gas field in the world Slochteren was discovered in the northern province of Groningen and within just five years, nearly all Dutch homes were connected to the gas grid.
As of 2018, gas heated nine in every ten homes in the Netherlands and 38% of total energy consumption went towards heating (of which over half goes to residential buildings). [Today industrial consumption 42.2% and residential 19.2%] The change came following a series of earthquakes caused by fracking [? nonsense], which created a huge public outcry. In 2019, the Dutch decided to go completely gas-free by 2050, and to halt domestic production by 2030 - although this could happen as early as 2022.
In March 2018, the EU called upon its member states to create specific Integrated National Energy and Climate Plans (NECP) to aid continent-wide decarbonisation efforts. This led the Dutch government to bring together a wide range of civil society organisations (labour unions, NGOs, business associations and local authorities) to help draw up its national climate commitments. The final text was published in December 2018.

Judgment in the climate case brought by Urgenda against the State of the Netherlands

Additional reading ...

Natural Gas in the Netherlands | Clingendael |

'Sapere aude'

by Oui (Oui) on Thu Dec 23rd, 2021 at 08:38:15 PM EST

Strong Business Ties Dutch, Germans with Russia (none / 0)

IHT - Putin expected to focus on energy in Dutch visit | Nov. 3, 2005 |
AMSTERDAM Nov. 2 -- Putin and his wife, Lyudmila, were welcomed by Queen Beatrix and her son, Crown Prince Willem Alexander, at the airport, and the group then drove to the royal palace in Amsterdam. Putin walked across Dam Square to pay respects to Dutch war victims at the national monument. The police had sealed off the square in the center of the Dutch capital hours before.
The Russian president was also to visit Zaandam, a town where Czar Peter the Great spent several months in 1697 studying Dutch shipbuilding.
Putin was repaying a 2001 state visit by Queen Beatrix. He had been due to visit in 2002, but the trip was postponed when terrorists seized 800 hostages at a Moscow theater in a siege that ended with 170 people dead.
Although Putin has made business trips to the Netherlands before, it is the first state visit by a Russian leader since Czar Alexander II in 1874.

'Dutch continued with secret gas talks with Russia, despite MH17,' says FTM | March 2021 |

'Sapere aude'

by Oui (Oui) on Thu Dec 23rd, 2021 at 08:39:36 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Peter the Great (none / 0)

🤴 #OTD - 3️⃣1️⃣0️⃣ years ago - #Revel saw the first official visit of #Tsar Peter the Great.

🏰 The glorious #Emperor visited Revel (now #Tallinn 🇪🇪) eight times. While there, #Peter I commanded the victorious 🇷🇺 Russian army during the Great Northern War with 🇸🇪 Sweden. pic.twitter.com/Yok4dIt4xV
— Russia in Estonia 🇷🇺🇪🇪 (@RusEmbEst) December 25, 2021