King’s Commissioners of Zeeland and North Holland visit the Energy & Health Campus in Petten
Delegation from Zeeland and North Holland visits NRG PALLAS
Today, the King’s Commissioner of Zeeland, Hugo de Jonge, and Arthur van Dijk, King’s Commissioner of North Holland, visited the Energy & Health Campus in Petten.
NRG PALLAS has a unique nuclear infrastructure here, where groundbreaking research is being conducted into innovations for new types of small nuclear reactors (Small Modular Reactor). During the visit, the Zeeland delegation, consisting of Hugo de Jonge, Provincial Executive member Johan Aalberts, and Gerben Dijksterhuis, Mayor of Borsele, was briefed on the research into SMRs. They also viewed the progress on the construction of the PALLAS-reactor. From North Holland, Provincial Executive member Esther Rommel and Marjan van Kampen, Mayor of Schagen, were also present.
Cooperation between regions is essential
With the PALLAS project, the Netherlands has, for the first time in years, been able to gain practical knowledge about what is involved in realizing a large-scale nuclear project. These experiences create time savings for new nuclear construction initiatives in the Netherlands, as concluded in the recent SEO report “Building on experience”.
Arthur van Dijk: ’In Petten, we have been building world‑class nuclear expertise for more than sixty years. As the Province of North Holland, we have actively contributed to making the PALLAS project possible, and we are proud that this initiative strengthens the public infrastructure of the Netherlands. It provides an indispensable contribution to medical care (more than 30,000 patients per day depend on Petten), innovation, the reinforcement of the nuclear knowledge infrastructure, and the future energy supply of the Netherlands. The experience gained here is of great value for new nuclear initiatives, such as the ambitions currently being developed in Zeeland. Cooperation between our regions and NRG PALLAS is essential in this regard.’
Together in realizing the Netherlands’ nuclear ambitions
The reactor, research facilities, and decades of experience make NRG PALLAS an indispensable link in achieving the Netherlands’ nuclear ambitions. With the arrival of the PALLAS-reactor, this role will also be secured for the future. Thanks to our public infrastructure and the high‑quality expertise that supports both medical and energy applications, NRG PALLAS can, for example, help startups developing new reactor types (such as SMRs) and nuclear technologies reach the market more quickly. Close cooperation between government bodies and nuclear partners in the Netherlands is essential to accomplishing the major nuclear task ahead and to preserving, expanding, and purposefully applying the knowledge that has been built up.
Maurits Wolleswinkel, CEO of NRG PALLAS: ‘We are pleased to contribute our knowledge and research to help realize the Netherlands’ nuclear ambitions. By working closely together with the Province of Zeeland, we strengthen the nuclear knowledge infrastructure and the future energy supply of the Netherlands.’
Inspiration for Zeeland
The Province of Zeeland has major ambitions in the field of nuclear energy. In addition to keeping the existing Borssele nuclear power plant operational for a longer period and constructing two new nuclear power plants, the province is also exploring the possibilities for developing Small Modular Reactors (SMRs).
