The Province of Fryslân acknowledges the national importance of the energy transition. Major national projects – such as gas extraction, the Offshore Wind Landing Program (PAWOZ), the 380 kV connection, and the hydrogen backbone – have a significant spatial and social impact on Fryslân, while the benefits accrue elsewhere in the country.
The province is willing to take responsibility in this, but only in an equal partnership with the national government. “We, as a province, take our responsibility both socially and in terms of landscape. But it works both ways,” says Deputy Sijbe Knol. “The province wants to contribute to achieving national climate and energy goals, but we want the national government to invest in the region that carries this challenge.”
Therefore, a Frisian Energy Deal must be a robust, multi-year agreement that clearly defines how benefits and burdens are shared and how the national government invests in the regional foundation that enables all these developments.
Agreement with Ministry
The concrete agreement with the ministry is to seek to adapt (subsidy) schemes, find solutions to bottlenecks in energy infrastructure, and run pilots where possible. Currently, the schemes are mainly designed for mass and the greatest impact. “Urgency is not always about size. Regional and local issues are also urgent. That must be adapted to our scale,” says Knol. “We have plenty of examples, think of Hallum, Betterwird, but also the great potential of water heating in our province. We need the national government for that.”
