"We see that the overall supply of gas from Russia to Europe is rapidly declining. This means that without additional measures it is no longer possible to guarantee that we will be able to fill enough gas storage facilities in Europe and the Netherlands to prepare for the winter," Jetten said in a statement.
Therefore, the Dutch government decided to make some changes in the country’s policy. Among them is an anti-crisis plan, according to which the Netherlands decided to lift restrictions on the operation of coal-fired power plants for the period from 2022 to 2024 in order to reduce the risk of gas shortages.
"As the risk of gas shortages has increased, the cabinet of ministers today decided to lift the restriction on coal-fired power plants for the period from 2022 to 2024 with immediate effect. This means that coal-fired power plants are again allowed to operate at full capacity," the statement said.
In addition, gas companies must provide the government with information on gas supplies on a daily basis, the statement read.
The Dutch government also called on companies and households to save energy.
"From now on, every cubic meter of gas counts, so the cabinet is urging companies and households to save as much energy as possible even in summer," Jetten said.
The government noted that there is currently no shortage of gas in the country.