Biomass is emerging in a debate where the sector seemed to be fading into the background in recent years. Not through a call for new subsidies or additional co-firing, but in the discussion about security of supply and the question of how the Netherlands keeps its electricity system robust as pressure mounts.
The reason for this is the renewed attention to existing coal-fired power plants and their potential role after 2030. That discussion has long ceased to be solely about coal. In the background, there is also the question of which installations can be converted, which locations remain valuable for reserve capacity, and which fuels can be used if solar and wind do not provide enough. It is precisely there that biomass is coming back into the picture.
In the report Autonomous and safe Experts from the Top Sector Energy outline a scenario in which power plants remain technically available in a mothballed structure, with a stock of coal or biomass, to temporarily provide base load in a crisis situation. This is a line of thought, not a detailed policy decision. Nevertheless, the passage is telling, because biomass emerges here as a storable energy carrier in an energy system that must continue to function even under heavy pressure.
Storeable fuel regains weight
In recent years, biomass has primarily been approached as a controversial issue, with discussions regarding sustainability, subsidies, and public acceptance. Now, another characteristic is coming to the fore: namely, that biomass can be stored and deployed when needed. In an electricity system with significant weather-dependent production, this is not a minor detail, but a quality that will carry more weight.
As a result, existing power plants are viewed differently. Not only as a fossil legacy, but also as potential links in a new system. A power plant is more than a place where coal was burned. It is also a location with a grid connection, infrastructure, technical expertise, and sometimes opportunities for conversion to biomass, CO2 capture, or a combination of both.
This is not only a factor in studies and scenarios. The owners of the power plants are also pressing for clarity soon. They want to know well before 2030 what role their installations can still play and under what conditions investments are worthwhile. This concerns maintenance, conversion, fuel choices, and the question of whether available capacity will be rewarded in some way in the future.
The link with biomass, in particular, makes the subject more relevant than a discussion about coal alone. For the Eemshaven plant, RWE is considering a route towards sustainable biomass in combination with CCS. Uniper also sees more potential in converting the Maasvlakte plant to biomass with CO2 capture, although such a step depends on political clarity regarding support, regulations, and a market for carbon removal.
Politics seeks space after 2030
The issue is now openly on the table in The Hague as well. Henri Bontenbal raised the question in the House of Representatives as to whether it is wise to simply close all coal-fired power plants by 2030 if security of supply becomes a more important factor. In doing so, he also pointed out the possibility of converting plants to biomass in order to keep capacity available. Minister of Climate and Green Growth Stientje van Veldhoven subsequently announced that the Cabinet will send a letter to the House of Representatives before the summer regarding the possibilities for a capacity market.
This shifts the debate from a closing date to the design of the system after 2030. Electricity demand is rising due to the electrification of industry, mobility, and the built environment, while at the same time a portion of the existing controllable capacity is disappearing. As a result, attention is growing for capacity that does not need to operate continuously but must remain available for moments of scarcity or emergencies.
In this shifting landscape, biomass regains significance. Not as an automatic growth market, nor without conditions, but as a storable fuel in an energy system that requires more than just cheap production on good wind and sun days. As wind and solar constitute a larger share of the electricity mix, the need for flexibility, storage, and deployable capacity also grows.
Biomass is thus returning to the debate on security of supply. Not as a repetition of an old story, but as part of the search for an energy system that is clean, stable, and resilient enough for the years after 2030.
Source: Report Autonomous and secure: how the Netherlands can strengthen its energy position, Top Sector Energy, March 2026.
Photo: The discussion regarding security of supply is increasingly focusing on existing power plants, conversion, and storable fuels such as biomass.
Eemshaven, Nataraj, Adobe Stock
