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

> Answering CDA questions on the Nyrstar zinc plant in Budel, ministers said lowering electricity costs for energy-intensive industry is a priority, with a larger fund reserved from 2028.

Economy · published 2026-11-13 05:42 · https://nlnow.nl/a/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.

## Background

- **Nyrstar**: Nyrstar is a metals company that operates a zinc production plant in Budel, in the south of the Netherlands. The plant is energy-intensive, so its electricity costs are a central part of the discussion about its future. Government support for electricity costs for energy-intensive industry is one of the issues that affects the site.
- **CISAF (Clean Industrial Deal State Aid Framework)**: The Clean Industrial Deal State Aid Framework is an EU framework from the European Commission that sets the conditions under which member states may give state aid to support clean energy and the decarbonisation of industry. It is the rulebook Dutch government support measures for industry must fit within, including measures that reduce electricity costs. Because of it, the Netherlands can only design such support within the limits and conditions the EU sets.

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