The Netherlands needs to accelerate making its energy supply more autonomous and resilient. So say 22 experts in the field of energy and security in the Top Sector Energy's report 'Autonomous and secure: how the Netherlands can strengthen its energy position' with a foreword by Admiral b.d. Rob Bauer, NATO's highest-ranking military officer until 2025. In the report, they make 32 concrete recommendations to make energy supplies more resilient to geopolitical tensions, disruptions in international supply and increasing digital threats. The first recommendation: accelerate the energy transition.
"We must prepare for energy crises that do not come from one source, but from a perfect storm of multiple, simultaneous problems, and that requires a change in mentality. We have all the technical capabilities to build an autonomous and decentralised energy system. Now that we finally feel the urgency, these 32 recommendations offer a roadmap to a future-proof Netherlands," said Maurice Mommen, programme manager at Top Sector Energy.
Energy supply and political position
According to the experts, the most underestimated risk is not in attacks, sabotage or war, but in political blackmail. There is a real risk of equipment being switched off remotely via imported technology. According to the experts, we ourselves provoke the resulting social disruption. They therefore call on the Netherlands to work with neighbouring countries to create a flexible and decentralised energy system. This should ensure that if individual elements of the energy supply fail, the rest will keep running.
They also recommend investing in local storage technology, recycling of raw materials and a European ICT chain, from software to chip industry. To further increase our resilience in times of crisis, they also recommend putting together a pool of mechanics, electrical engineers, IT specialists and concerned citizens who can keep the energy supply running.
Resilience
The less energy we use, the less energy we need to import. To strengthen our position, the experts argue for more effective use of the existing savings obligation for companies, and for research into ways to make energy-saving campaigns aimed at households more effective. They also advise seeing the lack of an energy savings target for 2030 in the Netherlands as an opportunity to set an ambitious target.
Smart compensation offers opportunities for sustainable energy supply
Given recent developments in the Middle East, the experts have an acute concern: With energy prices rising sharply - as they will in 2022 - calls for compensation are growing. In the report, the experts recommend opting for a refund decoupled from energy use. This way, the compensation is independent of the price of fossil fuels and citizens and companies have the opportunity to use the compensation to make their energy supply more sustainable.
Groningen is like our airbag
The experts understand the cessation of active gas production in the Groningen field, but recommend not dismantling the infrastructure present there. It would make the Netherlands needlessly vulnerable in times of acute threat of war.
"Groningen is like an airbag for the Netherlands. Nobody voluntarily drives into a tree, but if you hit one, you're glad you have an airbag. In addition to stopping the dismantling of Groningen's infrastructure, this report contains 31 recommendations to strengthen our energy position. If we start doing that, we might not need our Groningen airbag". - Maurice Mommen
Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity is also an important topic in the report. According to experts, the cyber security of energy supply benefits from a sector-wide approach, in which stakeholders - including in the development of proprietary control systems - work closely together in defence against a shared external threat. For example, Lokke Moerel, professor of digital security at Tilberg University, recommends a similar approach for energy supply to that used to make the telecommunications network less vulnerable to digital attacks. "The energy network, like the telecommunications network, depends on all kinds of 'single points of failure'. The approach is that you have to identify those piece by piece and apply 'hardening' and redundancy."
Additional capacity is also needed for drone defences and other air defences - this is a necessity and requires a whole palette. For example, there are very many types of drones. That also requires a diverse range of means for detecting and disabling them.Eric Schouten, founder of Dyami Security Intelligence, a company specialising in security & intelligence.
Every imported chip is a security risk
Risks also apply to ubiquitous (produced elsewhere) consumer electronics. Security services can sometimes watch security cameras in cities. Even relatively low-tech technology can already be controlled remotely, but finding kill switches is difficult because they may be located in chips. The report argues that the wen solution would be to produce all chips in-house, but that conclusion should ideally have been drawn 20 years ago, before chip production largely moved to Asian countries like Taiwan, Japan, Singapore and China because of lower costs.
Strengthening own chip production
The Netherlands has a unique position with ASML, but this concerns the production of chip-making machines, i.e. one step higher in the chain. However, with ASML - and with the further semiconductor industry around Dutch technical universities, such as Twente, Eindhoven, Delft and, for example, the Chip Integration Technology Centre in Nijmegen - the Netherlands can make a concrete contribution to the planned strengthening of Europe's own chip producers.
Drone technology
Security of the onshore energy infrastructure lies primarily with the energy companies themselves. In case of increased threats, ground-based drone and aerial defences are relevant. "For example, there are very many types of drones. That also requires a diverse range of means for detecting and disabling them." states Eric Schouten, founder of Dyami Security Intelligence, a company specialising in security & intelligence.
The manufacturing industry can play an important role in strengthening the Netherlands' energy supply.
Source: Top Sector Energy
Also read: Preventing cybercrime? Prepare with powerful roadmap
About opening photo: Delft startup FLASC has developed a system that can store electricity generated on site in offshore wind farms. (Photo: FLASC - Construction pilot Port of Rotterdam)
