Electricity balance sheet; supply and consumption
Explanation of symbols
Table explanation
This table shows the supply of electricity. Consumption of electricity is calculated from the supply variables. The supply of electricity primarily includes production plus imports minus exports. The majority of the electricity produced is supplied to the public electricity grid by, for example, power stations and wind turbines. A smaller part is generated by companies themselves for the benefit of their own business processes. For example, many greenhouse companies generate their own electricity for the lighting of their greenhouses.
The net production is determined as gross production minus the own consumption of electricity. Own consumption is the amount of electricity that a producer or installation consumes during electricity production. The net production is broken down in this table into the following energy sources from which the electricity is produced: nuclear energy, coal, petroleum products, natural gas, biomass, other fuels (non-renewable), hydro power, wind energy, solar photovoltaic and other sources.
Imports and exports are further broken down by country of origin or destination.
The total net consumption of electricity in the Netherlands is calculated as the net production plus imports minus exports and distribution losses.
Data available:
Annual figures are available from 1929 onwards. Monthly figures on total electricity production, import and export are available from 1976.
Full data per month is available from 2015.
Status of the figures:
- All figures up to and including reporting year 2024 are definite.
- Figures for 2025 are revised provisional.
- Figures for 2026 are provisional.
Changes as of November 13th 2026:
As part of the revision of the 2021–2025 energy balance, adjustments have been made—based on new information—specifically to distribution losses and the net production of electricity from wind, solar, biomass, and natural gas
Changes as of October 30th 2026:
Figures added for August 2026.
Changes as of September 30th 2026:
Figures added for July 2026.
Changes as of August 27th 2026:
Figures added for June 2026.
When will new figures be published?
Provisional figures: the second month after the end of the reporting period.
Revised provisional figures: June of the year following the reporting year.
Definite figures: not later than November of the second following year.
Description topics
- Gross production
- The total amount of electricity generated in the Netherlands. This is without deduction of the own consumption of the installations with which the electricity was produced.
- Own consumption for electr. production
- The amount of electricity that a producer or installation consumes during electricity production.
- Net production
- The total amount of electricity generated in the Netherlands minus the own consumption of the installations with which the electricity was produced.
- Net production, total
- Nuclear energy
- Energy released by nuclear fusion.
The energy is used to heat water, which is transformed into high pressure steam. This is used to generate electricity through a steam turbine.
- Fuels
- Product of which by means of combustion energy is extracted.
- Fuels, total
- Coal
- Coal consists of hard coal, brown coal (lignite) and coal products. Hard coal and brown coal are solid fossil fuels that exist of carbonized rests of vegetal origin. The carbonization is a result of prolonged exposure to high temperature and pressure. The most important coal products in the Netherlands are coke-oven cokes, coke oven gas, blast furnace gas and coal tar. For the production of electricity in the Netherlands hard coal (steam coal), coke oven gas and blast furnace gas are used.
- Petroleum products
- Liquid and gaseous fuels that are made of crude oil and natural gas liquids.
Some examples of petroleum products are motor gasoline, gas and diesel oil, kerosene, fuel oil, LPG, naphtha and residual gases. For the production of electricity in the Netherlands residual gases and some other petroleum products is used.
- Natural gas
- Gas of natural origin that mainly consists of methane. It arises from the same process that leads to the formation of petroleum. Natural gas is liquefied for transport over long distances by ship.
- Biomass
- Substances derived from vegetable or animal material of recent origin and used for the production of energy. Examples are wood, manure and waste from the food processing industry.
- Other fuels (non-renewable)
- The non-renewable part of household and industrial waste.
- Hydro power
- Energy produced by flowing or falling water.
- Wind energy
- Wind energy, total
- Energy produced with wind turbines
Wind turbines can be placed on land, inland waters and off shore.
Off shore is more expensive. However, there is more wind at sea. In addition, placing off shore wind turbines is often considered less problematic from the landscape point of view.
- Wind energy on shore
- Wind energy on shore and inland waters.
- Wind energy off shore
- Energy produced with off shore wind turbines.
Off shore electricity production from wind energy started in the autumn of 2006.
- Solar photovoltaic
- Energy form the sun converted into electricity.
- Other sources
- Examples are expansion turbines (in which gases expand under high pressure, as a result of which the turbine produces electricity), (residual) steam, feed water
- Imports
- Electricity that enters the country via the high-voltage network. The Netherlands has direct connections with Belgium, Germany, United Kingdom, Norway and Denmark.
- Imports, total
- Belgium
- Denmark
- Germany
- United Kingdom
- Norway
- Exports
- Electricity that leaves the country via the high-voltage network. The Netherlands has direct connections with Belgium, Germany, United Kingdom and Norway. A connection with Denmark is under construction. This will be put into operation according to plan in 2019.
- Exports, total
- Belgium
- Denmark
- Germany
- United Kingdom
- Norway
- Distribution losses
- Total distribution losses, including physical losses due to the transport of electricity and administrative losses due to fraud, measurement errors and administrative deficiencies.
- Net consumption (calculated)
- The total net consumption of electricity in the Netherlands is calculated as the net production plus imports minus exports and distribution losses.