Report

Background data on electricity labelling

Since 1 January 2005 Dutch power suppliers have had an obligation to state the source of the electricity they market in the form of ‘ex-post labelling’. This means that, within three months of the end of each calendar year, suppliers must provide information on the share of each energy source in the overall mix used for power generation and the associated environmental impacts in terms of carbon emissions and radioactive waste.

EnergieNed has fleshed out the Dutch labelling system for practical application and is supporting suppliers in fulfilling part of their obligation. As one element of these efforts CE Delft has worked out various national fuel mixes, including the mix embodied in the overall Dutch power supply. This work shows that in the Netherlands natural gas is the predominant fuel used for power generation, with or without combined heat and power generation (CHP), accounting for over 50% of supplies. Next follows coal, with 22%. Nuclear and renewables each have a share of around 10%, with in both cases a substantial proportion of the electricity imported. Overall, the environmental consequences in terms of carbon emissions and radioactive waste average 443 g CO2 per kWh and 0.000287 g nuclear waste per kWh.

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