Publication Laka-library:
Annual Report 1994 (1995)
| Author | SEP |
| Date | April 1995 |
| Classification | 1.01.7.30/47 (UTILITIES - SEP/VEEN/VDEN) |
| Front | 
|
From the publication:
General Considerations A coherent energy policy in an international context The nineteen-eighties and nineties have seen sweeping social trends which also have an important impact on developments in the supply of energy in both the near and distant future. Things in the year 2050 will be very different from the way they are today, and this applies equally to the energy supply: in fifty years time, renewable energy sources whose development is still only at the pioneer stage will be in everyday use. This means that it is important to take steps now which are geared to that distant future - and it will be important to ensure over the next few years that those steps are the right ones. This demands an energy policy with vision, which is geared to long-term developments, a policy which offers the electricity industry the freedom to set the sustainable energy scenario of the future in motion today, so that a reliable, effective supply of energy which has the minimum impact on the environment can be safeguarded. The social function of the electricity industry - a reliable electricity supply as a basic condition for the functioning of modern society- is certain to become the focus of debate over the coming years. The liberalization of the energy market and the growing international competition that brings mean that the ability to sustain a reliable and effective national public electricity supply at the lowest possible cost and in a socially responsible way is no longer something which can be taken for granted. Sep takes the view that Dutch energy policy should take a lead in the sustainable development of the electricity supply in an international context. The coherent energy policy announced by Economic Affairs Minister Dr. Hans Wijers must offer a framework against which Dutch policy on electricity supply can be tested in the coming decades. This would create a structured policy for changes to the Dutch electricity sector and would thus avoid a situation in which debates about the structure get in the way of developments towards a sustainable energy supply for the long term. A coherent energy policy will also offer a basis in which the relationship between energy supply and industrial development, employment, technology policy and physical planning can be firmly anchored. The Dutch electricity supply industry, as it stands in 1995, can boast a number of important achievements. The supply is highly reliable, prices both to small and large-scale consumers are among the lowest in Europe and the environmental impact is minimized. This is of great importance for Dutch society, as the price and reliability of the electricity supply have a major impact in areas such as industrial development, employment and physical planning. The discussions surrounding the liberalization of the electricity market will greatly influence the electricity industry in the coming years. However, this must not divert attention from the fundamental question: How can the industry safeguard its social function until well into the next century? The current worldwide growth in the use of fossil fuels for generating electricity and heat will inevitably start to reach its limits over the coming decades, as the fuel reserves gradually become exhausted. The debate on sustainable development is currently still in its infancy, but is set to become a crucial point on the social agenda over the next few years.
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