The new InterGen/Oxxio power plant
Speech by Frank Heemskerk, minister for Foreign Trade at the ceremony for the new InterGen/Oxxio power plant.
Ladies and gentlemen,
I would like to thank InterGen for inviting me to this ceremony today. I am delighted to be here.
I am excited about this new power plant.
Excited, because this major investment by our American friends is good for the Dutch economy. Excited, because the new plant will contribute to a cleaner environment.
Excited because projects like this will help us secure enough affordable energy for the future.
An investment of 480 million euros is a big deal.
It is great news for the Dutch economy. It will stimulate innovation in the energy sector, as InterGen uses some of the best available technologies to reduce emissions.
This project proves that opening your doors to foreign investors raises productivity and innovation. I strongly believe that foreign investment translates into domestic jobs.
InterGen's investment is also good news for me personally, as I am responsible for foreign investments.
I am proud of the Netherlands' investment climate. We score high on the international rankings of the IMD, the WEF and The Economist. Our strategic location makes us a gateway to Europe. Our business climate is good, and we are working hard to keep it that way. Expats and their families appreciate our country because of its openness, its tolerance, the quality of life and because it's a great place for children to grow up.
And it shows! According to the American Department of Commerce, American companies have invested a record 33 billion dollars in the Netherlands in 2006, including investments by financing companies, mergers and acquisitions, so-called "greenfields" and expansion investments . This makes the Netherlands the biggest recipient of American foreign direct investment worldwide!
I have been told that InterGen surveyed several countries and continents before deciding on the Netherlands, which I believe was your first choice. This confirms that our investment climate is excellent, and that it is well geared toward the energy sector. That's great, because we have high ambitions in this field.
I am confident that other businesses will follow InterGen's example. The Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency, NFIA for short, is already talking with a number of other potential investors. And InterGen may soon go even further - you are already talking to the NFIA about new investment plans! Rest assured that my people will make every effort to facilitate these projects.
As I said before, InterGen's plant will be fully in keeping with Dutch goals for clean and efficient energy. It will use technologies that even exceed our strict environmental standards. It will be the first power plant in the Netherlands to use emissions cleaning. We will benefit from InterGen's extensive experience with this technology in Mexico. I have been told that you are one year ahead of a competitor (Eneco), which is going to use the same technology in its new plant. Congratulations!
Specialists at my Ministry have explained to me the intricacies of denoxification in gas-fired plants. I was amazed when I discovered that you can prevent acid rain simply by washing the dirty emissions! The only difference is that the detergent is urea, not soap.
This convinces me more than ever that technological innovation will play a vital role in saving our planet and the future of humankind!
Finally, I welcome this new plant, and the contract between InterGen and Oxxio, because it is a step towards another of my Ministry's goals: securing our energy supply and increasing competition in the energy market. InterGen will be producing 7.5% of the Netherlands' electricity supply, enough for one and a half million households. A larger energy supply is good for the Netherlands. It means knowing we have enough energy to meet our needs. And it means energy security at affordable prices. Because a larger supply means greater competition, and that means lower prices. This will benefit Dutch businesses and consumers and in turn boost our country's economic growth.
It's great that Oxxio has become the other partner in this transatlantic collaboration on Dutch soil. To me, this partnership proves that a free energy market works. Oxxio, a British subsidiary and a newcomer to the Dutch energy market, currently has only a toehold [vertaling: een teen] on the Dutch market. But thanks to the contract with InterGen, it will soon have secured its own power supply. That will strengthen its position in the Dutch market. Once the new power line between the UK and the Netherlands is completed, this strategy could pay off. That toehold might become a strong foothold!
Ladies and gentlemen,
In order for the energy market to work, all the parties must stick to the rules. Consumers must receive good information. Contracts must be transparent. I will be watching!
The energy companies must also work continually to improve their environmental performance, to become cleaner and more efficient producers. I applaud your efforts at InterGen to optimise your own energy consumption by recovering residual heat and producing steam. It is good to see that InterGen's first power plant in Rotterdam supplies steam to Shell and Argos. I sincerely hope your second plant will do something similar.
Ladies and gentlemen,
I would like to congratulate InterGen and Oxxio again on this fantastic project. And now it's time for me to plant a tree!
This tree is a beautiful symbol.
This tree symbolises the beautiful things that will grow here.
This tree symbolises InterGen's roots growing even deeper into Dutch soil.