Dutch energy minister to outline plan to reduce Russian coal, oil, gas

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) – Dutch imports of Russian oil and coal have fallen as a result of the war in Ukraine, the minister for climate and energy said on Tuesday, adding that he would outline the government’s plan to further reduce Russian energy dependence later this month.

In a letter to parliament, Rob Jetten said he was “calling on companies to limit the import of Russian oil and coal as much as possible”.

Among major energy users in the Netherlands, Tata Steel has stopped using Russian coal, while Shell, which operates the Pernis oil refinery, Europe’s largest, halted purchases of Russian crude in March.

In 2021, coal throughput at Rotterdam Port was 24.5 million tonnes of coal, of which around 20% was from Russia.

Throughput at Amsterdam Port was 10.4 million tonnes of coal in 2021.

Most of the coal that enters Dutch ports continues on to generation plants and steel mills in Germany.

News agency ANP, citing Dutch government data, said domestic coal consumption is around 3.3 million tonnes annually, of which 43% comes from Russia.

(Reporting by Toby Sterling; Editing by Emelia Sithole-Matarise and Alexander Smith)