What will the energy supply in the Netherlands be like in 2050? Will there still be space for biomass, particularly as a heat source, or will other alternatives be available by then? A lot (or for that matter very little) can happen in the space of three decades and so it remains a matter of speculation. However, over the short term our country will have a dire need for biomass to achieve its CO2 reduction targets.

While the Southern Netherlands Pyrolysis Testing Ground project is coming to an end, pyrolysis is becoming increasingly mainstream. Large companies, such as Dow, Shell and SABIC, are planning to start using pyrolysis oil as feedstock for their naphtha crackers. However, many hurdles still need to be overcome.

The Northern Netherlands must become the top circular plastics cluster of Europe. Not only as far as recycling is concerned, but also in the area of developing new biopolymers. This is the goal of Chemport Europe, the business community, knowledge institutes and governments in the three northern provinces.