Cabinet adds €150m in 2027 to cut industry power costs

The cabinet will release an extra €150 million in 2027 to lower electricity costs for energy-intensive industry. Ministers set this out in written answers to CDA MPs Jumelet and Bühler about the future of the Nyrstar plant in Budel. The questions were submitted on 30 September 2026.

The money comes on top of an electricity-price budget in the coalition agreement. It is reserved from 2028 and rises to €495 million a year through 2035. The cabinet is drawing up a new support scheme for the 2027 money within the European CISAF state-aid framework.

Decisions on spending the remaining funds from 2028 are planned for spring 2027. The cabinet is drawing up several options for how to spend them. "It is important that these funds reach the intended target group," the ministers wrote.

"We understand how urgent it is to tackle high energy costs in the Netherlands," the cabinet said. It named lower electricity costs for energy-intensive industry a priority, to improve the competitiveness of Dutch industry and encourage electrification.

Asked whether Nyrstar's situation shows that high Dutch electricity costs for energy-intensive companies are not only a long-term issue but can also affect investment decisions and the retention of industrial production in the Netherlands in the short term, the ministers answered "Yes".

The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate said it is in good contact with Nyrstar at staff and board level. It is also talking more broadly with companies, Nyrstar included, about how to use the envelope.