Drs. Cora van Nieuwenhuizen 18 | VAN VERRE 291
Figurehead of the energy sector! Former VVD Minister of Infrastructure and Water Management Drs. Cora van Nieuwenhuizen (20085603) stepped out of politics to become one of our country's leading lobbyists. Since October 2021, she has been president of Energie-Nederland, an association of 70 members that produce, trade and supply energy. With a new coalition agreement, clear climate targets and challenging deadlines, she is determined to help all the parties involved push forward from her position. Van Verre talks to her about leadership, the energy transition, a thick skin and about Nyenrode Business University.
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BY JAN VINCENT MEERTENS - PHOTO HET PORTRET BUREAU
ou have been working at Energie-Nederland for a few months now. What exactly is your role? CvN: "I am the figurehead of the association. I am the face and point of contact for our members but also to the outside world. I try to be a bridge to the rest of society. To the government, to politics and to other companies and sectors and knowledge institutions. Brussels is also very important to us. I also hope to be able to go on more working visits soon. I want to hear how things really work in practice." The coalition agreement is ambitious. Also with regard to the climate targets. Realistic? CvN: "The coalition agreement is realistic, certainly, we are happy with it, but it is short notice. I was shocked during my induction period by the pace at which we are all tackling the energy transition. It was a wake-up call for me. There is a lead time of six or seven years for projects, which is really far too long to achieve the climate targets. It's all hands on deck, for mobility, the built environment, industry. We've had the time of ambitions, now we have to actually do it." You are pleased with the appointment of a Minister for Climate and Energy. What are you going to ask of "climate tramp" Rob Jetten? CvN: "I hope he continues to press for that acceleration that we need. We have the plans, the ambitions, there is money and in that sense we are a few steps further on. So yes, let's get on with it and let his colleagues at the Ministries of Infrastructure and Water Management and Economic Affairs and Climate Change get on with it. So I would very much urge him to speed up and, above all, take action. If you want to speed things up, you also have to reduce the complexity." Energie-Nederland represents almost 90% of the market for producers, suppliers and traders of electricity, gas and heat. What can you do in concrete terms?
CvN: "Especially by making the knowledge and expertise available to all the members and the association itself available to the ministries, to politicians, and also to Brussels. We work with the themes of energy transition, energy market and energy consumer. We have real expertise in these areas. That knowledge is available to enable us to make the right choices quickly. New legislation is on the way. We are at the beginning of the hydrogen economy, there are still all kinds of things to be done for that. If we have good consultation beforehand, it can pass through the House of Representatives quickly. This is necessary because otherwise we simply won't make it. All our members are urging us to get on with it. Energie-Nederland is also responsible for security of supply, affordability and, of course, safety. Safety of the energy supply itself, safety for employees, but also increasingly digital safety. We look at the whole system from Energie-Nederland's point of view." There are the procedures, the legislation, permits et cetera, but we also see that the infrastructure is insufficient to handle new energy. CvN: "Yes, here you see the chicken and the egg. Industry wants to go green, but you have to be sure that the green energy will be available. Our electricity network is not yet equipped for electrification. So you have to know how you can use the energy. In some regions there are great initiatives, then there is a solar park, but then they cannot be connected. That is a huge brake. It is necessary to accelerate the strengthening of the electricity grid and to make it smarter. We are in constant dialogue with grid managers and other parties about this. Recently, in a coalition of 14 parties, we put forward a proposal for a joint approach to the biggest bottlenecks in the electricity grid: 'Faster to the grid.'" Tensions in Eastern Europe have not only caused the price of gas to soar, but the availability of gas also appears to be under pressure. Perhaps we have been a bit too hasty? CvN: "No, I don't think so. The reason lies in the instability in Groningen. I think that choice is quite right. The
