Toespraak Energy for the future

De toespraak is in het Engels gehouden:

Mr Gu Binglin, Mr Xie Zhenhua, Mr Van den Berg, ladies and gentlemen,

By 2011 at the latest, Delft University of Technology and Tsinghua University plan to launch two satellites that will measure the impact of pollution on climate change. This will mark a new high point in a partnership that has already lasted for more than 25 years. In that time, the ties between these two leading research institutes have only grown stronger. This deserves the highest praise, because international cooperation is imperative if we are to solve the global challenges we face. Particularly those at the interface between energy and climate change.

When you, Mr Gu Binglin, visited Delft University of Technology in 2005, you made the following remark in an interview.

'Sustainable technology is extremely important for China. My country is developing very rapidly and development, especially energy consumption, has to be sustainable.'

What appeals to me here is that you use the terms 'sustainable' and 'energy' in the same breath. It is crystal clear that the link is essential - and not only in China. The facts are there for all to see:

• First of all: over the next 25 years global demand for energy will rise by more than 50 per cent.
• Second: fossil fuels will have to meet most of the future demand, but supplies are limited.
• And third: burning fossil fuels produces greenhouse gas emissions, which endanger the environment and lead to climate change.

• So we face a double challenge. We need more energy to fuel economic growth and we need cleaner energy to relieve the burden on our planet. It is my firm belief that international cooperation and investment in science and technology will enable us to make the transition to a low-carbon economy in the coming decades. That is another reason why I support the partnership between Tsinghua University and Delft University so strongly.

As in many other areas, Chinese knowledge and expertise in the field of energy go back much further than ours. More than 2,000 years ago Chinese engineers were drilling deep boreholes to extract natural gas from the earth. They transported it to the surface with bamboo pipelines and used it in refining salt.

Hi-tech has come a long way since then. A few weeks ago, for example, I was allowed to take a short drive in the prototype of a new racing car: the Lotus 270E Tri-Fuel to be precise. I love fast cars, so this was of course a wonderful experience. But even more wonderful was filling up this beautiful car with bio-methanol, a fuel that is extracted from waste material. No oil or gas is needed. And no food crops. So this Lotus is an excellent example of a very promising innovation.

Ladies and gentlemen, of course the Lotus 270E and early Chinese gas extraction are different in many ways. But they show us that, where energy is concerned, everything revolves around innovation. Around the courage and creativity of pioneering technologists. And around a social environment that encourages the development and application of new, high-grade knowledge.

That is why Dutch policy on innovation is so active and ambitious. Our aim is to achieve a sustainable energy supply by 2050. Sustainable in the sense of clean, reliable and affordable. A good example is the way we view our greenhouse culture sector. By around 2020, growers should no longer be among our greatest energy consumers; they must be producers of energy. Can this be done? Yes of course it can! In fact, it's already happening. During the summer, one grower in the village of Bergerden stores the surplus heat from his greenhouse as hot water under the ground. In the winter he pumps the water up again. He started this project in 2006, and this year, for the first time, his greenhouse produced more heat than he needed for his own use. This is only one of the many, many initiatives which will enable the Netherlands to achieve a fifty per cent reduction in CO2 emissions by 2050. Because that is one of our specific goals.

And this is why cooperation between China and the Netherlands is so very important. We can learn a lot from each other. And we must. Because global problems demand global action and global cooperation. I would like to take this opportunity to say how much the Netherlands admires China's efforts to combat climate change. I salute you, Mr Xie Zhenhua, for the National Energy Administration's commitment to achieving the ambitious Chinese energy saving targets for 2010. China's conscious decision to pursue 'quality growth, rather than mere fast growth' is of great significance for the whole world.

Your efforts and ours will be even more successful if we work together more closely and more extensively on energy. It is without doubt in our common interest.

Take, for example, Dutch involvement in the 'Asia pro Eco projects' that advise industries on how they can achieve energy savings in their production processes. These savings are then set down in voluntary long-term agreements with the government. In the Netherlands, this model has been working successfully for more than twenty years, because voluntary agreements are accepted more readily than intrusive legislation. They have helped us to dramatically increase energy efficiency, especially in the chemicals, iron and steel sectors.

I could give you more examples of existing partnership projects. They cover a wide range of areas, from wind energy to CO2 storage. But the most exceptional energy project in which we are both involved is without doubt the famous ITER project, with its focus on nuclear fusion as a clean, safe and inexhaustible source of energy. We all know that this is a highly complex subject, not only in terms of the technology required. And we all know that the large-scale application of nuclear fusion is a dream for the very long term. But if we were to succeed, it would be a breakthrough as important as discovering how to make fire.

What makes ITER unique is that the entire world is investing in it. Not only China and the European Union, but also countries like Russia, Japan, the United States, South Korea and India. That sends an important message: that the international community regards the energy issue as a joint responsibility.

I cannot say often enough how important that is, especially given the revision of the Kyoto agreements in Copenhagen next year. Regardless of the outcome of the negotiations, the EU will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 20 per cent by 2020. If the summit produces a strong agreement, then the EU will reduce its target even further, to 30 per cent. But for such an agreement to work, commitment is needed from major industrial nations like the US, and the large emerging economies like China and Brazil. They too will have to make a contribution that is in line with the national conditions and opportunities they face. Given the great effort that China has already made and its pursuit of 'quality growth', I am confident that you will prove to be one of the main contributors to a successful new agreement in Copenhagen.

Ladies and gentlemen,

One thing is clear. There are plenty of energy-related areas in which China and the Netherlands can continue to work together, both now and in the future. I have no doubt that Tsinghua University and Delft University of Technology will be at the forefront of developments in the years to come. The two satellites that you will launch are an excellent symbol of this. Let us continue to work together towards 'Energy for the future', believing that the sky is the limit. And with that thought in mind, let me close by wishing you a very inspiring seminar.

Thank you.