Drs. Cora van Nieuwenhuizen (20085603) chairman of Energie

Drs. Cora van Nieuwenhuizen

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.

BY JAN VINCENT MEERTENS - PHOTO HET PORTRET BUREAU

You 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

Netherlands have of course been spoiled by the use of natural gas from Groningen for a very long time. If you move away from that, then you also have to take into account that you have an alternative. And we haven't managed to do that just yet. Especially in this transition period. I am now reading the book “Blackout” by Marc Elsberg, about our vulnerability due to dependence on energy and software, with disastrous consequences. It's fiction and we should keep it that way."

More parties are pushing for acceleration. Milieudefensie recently wrote to 29 companies, including members of Energie-Nederland. Is the threat of lawsuits necessary?

CvN: "It's part of how things are in society and it's good that groups are making themselves heard. Everyone has their own role and their own style. Some people prefer consultation, others confrontation. I myself am more in favor of the harmony model. Together at the table and acting together."

There does not appear to be much harmony in the way consumers are approached to switch from one energy supplier to another. The aggressive marketing produces irritation and confusion. Have market forces perhaps gone too far?

CvN: "It is good that consumers have a choice and that there are platforms that facilitate this. New entrants are also welcome, but we do want to protect society against providers who turn out not to be solvent, as is currently the case with the sharp increase in gas prices. Fortunately, we have it well regulated in the Netherlands so that no one is literally left out in the cold. But more stability is desirable. EnergieNederland helped to draw up a code of conduct for consumers and energy suppliers. This was further tightened up last year. You saw that there was too much brokering of energy contracts, which reduced transparency in the market. We improved that step by step with all members, but also the Consumers' Association and the ACM. The common interest is seen, though."

You are now, in a sense, stepping into the lee. In your time as minister, you had to deal with the dark side of social media more than ever.

CvN: "The dredge that was thrown at me was heavy. But as time goes by you also become more and more numb. You really have to have a very, very thick skin to survive all this. I was glad that in my ministry I no longer had young children who would be talked to about it in the schoolyard or in the classroom. I've seen with younger colleagues that this makes it extra tough."

That thick skin also helped you when everyone had an opinion about your switch to EnergieNederland. Lack of sense of responsibility, entanglement of interests.

CvN: "I knew in advance that there is a no-contact order with your own ministry. That makes sense to me, as well. I will obviously not show up at the Ministry of I&W for two years. I, and no one around me, including Mark Rutte, foresaw that I would be

Drs. Cora van Nieuwenhuizen

addressed by a journalist on the few days I observed at the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Change. A formality. It was 3 working days. Then followed many frames that took reality out of context, including in the Chamber. I could not recognize myself in them at all. I was surprised by the vehemence. I have devoted myself 27 years to public affairs and then you read all this about yourself. Apparently I had to go through that as well. It was a surreal experience. And yes, fortunately I have developed a thick skin."

Do you have any regrets about being a minister?

CvN: "No. I've been able to do great things. I look back with great satisfaction on what I have been able to achieve. Together with all the social parties, I have drawn up a very nice action plan in the field of traffic safety and have received 500 million euros for it. People often say, she hasn't achieved anything in aviation because Lelystad Airport isn't open. But I am proud to have been able to turn around the blind growth of aviation to sustainable growth. Through a sustainable aviation table, initiatives for synthetic kerosene, the blending of bio kerosene and the stimulation of the international train as an alternative and complement to the plane. That policy is in the aviation memorandum, to which the opposition also had little to say."

Notable was the digital Climate Adaption Summit 2021 with Ban Ki Moon, Bill Gates, Angela Merkel and dozens of world leaders. The Netherlands was host country under your leadership.

CvN: "Yes it was the final piece of the Ministry of I&W's climate adaptation program. The summit launched a broad, concrete, Adaptation Action Agenda with the aim of ensuring that our world can better withstand the effects of climate change. Such a days-long consultation has global impact. It was very nice to be able to do that."

When you were a deputy, director, of the Province of Brabant you followed the Nyenrode Commissioning Cycle in 2008.

CvN: "That was very useful, also for politicians, because controlling the government has many parallels with what a commissioner in a supervisory or advisory board does. The program really goes in depth. I was one of about 40 people that year and I was the only one from the public sector. I found it interesting that there was a lot of prejudice about the public sector. Two years later, I did the same course at the TIAS-NIMBAS. There it was exactly the opposite, there were only a few people from the business sector. And there they were full of prejudices about the business world. I found it an eye-opener to approach the topic of governance from both perspectives."

Can a University like Nyenrode contribute more to the climate transition?

CvN: "Many students are already very involved in themes such as energy transition, biodiversity, inclusion. The university can provide sufficient cross-pollination. People are still too often stuck in a box. Greening is only about engineering, for example. Also look at behavioral sciences. This is necessary for the social transition, for support. Too often, we are stuck with only techies or 'fineists.' That multidisciplinary perspective on a field would be an improvement. And for the students: girls and also boys of course, we also need you very much to meet the objectives. There is plenty of work with our members, with the network operators, with the government and basically everywhere. Link your talent and your skills to a beautiful social goal like the energy transition."

You're taking a break now, but you've certainly lived under high stress as a minister. How did you deal with that?

CvN: "I take inspiration from sports, such as martial arts. I believe in the kungfu principle: what you do, you should do as well as possible. That applies to all top sports, as I have also experienced my ministry. My husband (Bert Wijbenga, mayor of Vlaardingen ed.) and I sit in our box every home match of Feyenoord. And in Brabant they called me the delegate for cyclocross. I had no sport in my portfolio, but others were less interested and then I was allowed to go and watch cyclocross on behalf of the province. Always very nice. I met Marianne Vos a couple of times, a real top athlete. During the ministry there was little room to do sports myself but now I have a piece of life back." ♦