Innovation and institutional change: the transition to a sustainable ...

Stability and transformation in the electricity system 91
further investments in nuclear power plants in the 1980s. Government and
the power generation industry considered nuclear as a necessary fuel source
for future power generation. The Dutch government was at the point of
authorisation of the building of two or three new nuclear plants, when the
Chernobyl accident occurred and this led to a decision to postpone the
authorisation, although it was suggested that there was no connection with
the accident. The general tide was also starting to turn against nuclear
energy. The consumption of publicly generated electricity was not rising due
to the oil crises and through energy saving measures. Moreover, due to lower
oil prices the costs of nuclear power were no longer competitive with the
costs of fossil-based electricity. There was enough supply of natural gas and
it was possible to import electricity at lower prices. After 1987 nuclear
power has no longer been a serious option for power generation, and Dutch
parliament decided to phase out nuclear, by planning to close down the only
Dutch nuclear plant still in operation. The knowledge infrastructure for
nuclear energy did not disappear completely, initially domestic support was
legitimised based upon maintaining up-to-date knowledge and expertise in
the case major problems were solved (e.g. nuclear waste, and inherently safe
reactor designs), later new markets were developed in the nuclear activities
of ECN.
Literature on the development of nuclear energy in the Netherlands is
extensive and we summarise here some of the main conclusions 19 :
– Dutch government implemented an active R&D strategy for nuclear
energy, and pursued the development of a national industry;
– The electricity sector was interested in the implementation of nuclear
energy as a proven, mature technology, and was much less interested in
the development of a national industry;
– Nuclear energy fitted the know-how and routines of the electricity sector
regarding large-scale, long-term investments, and the guiding principle of
large central production units producing continuously for base-load
electricity;
– The decision making process regarding nuclear energy proceeded with
very limited actors involved (government and sector); was from the onset
very technocratic, and did not involve societal groups;
– The development and possible application of nuclear energy was
something fundamentally new to both Dutch society and the knowledge
infrastructure. Competencies regarding the technology had to be built up
(and were built up both in terms of organisation, R&D and education);
however competencies regarding the ‘sociotechnical’ issue of risk were
absent;
19 This is largely based on Hofman and Marquart (2001).