Dutch Nuon plans to quadruple renewable energy output
Date: 13-Feb-03
Country: GERMANY
"Our capacity now is at 500 megawatt (MW) and we aim to have raised it to 2,000 MW in a few years," van Halderen told conference delegates at the E-World energy sector gathering in Essen.
He said Nuon, already the Netherlands leader in the green energy consumer market, aimed to boost output in that sector as customers were ready to pay a higher price for their electricity if it was produced in an environmentally friendly way.
Amsterdam-based Nuon, owned by several local governments, is one of the two largest energy distributors in the Netherlands and last year upped its stake in German energy trader EnergieUnion to 75 percent.
Van Halderen said the integration of the European energy markets would benefit from planned EU enlargement.
The entry of central and eastern European countries to the bloc would speed up the harmonisation of market rules and shift the focus of energy firms from a local perspective to a more international market view.
He reiterated that Nuon, which had annual sales of around five billion euros, was interested in grabbing market share in Germany and Belgium.
The company was less interested in buying local utility stakes, but rather followed an asset-light approach and aimed to increase energy sales in these countries.
"We believe that we can use our experience gained in Holland, as well as in the U.S. retail market, in Germany," van Halderen said.
