There and Back Again: The Dutch Energy Sector from Privatisation to New Public Energy Companies

The public energy company might experience a serious come-back in the Dutch energy sector. The ideas that drove (local) governments to privatise a few decades ago now seem to have been replaced by the idea that public energy companies could fulfil a role in the energy transition. Public energy companies can take into account social or community interests that commercial companies not always do and they allow local governments the opportunity to exert influence, for instance when developing renewable energy projects or when rolling out heat networks. however, they do not always operate at the lowest societal cost. Therefore, each time when a public energy company is founded or expanded, it should be reflected whether this serves the public interest and how the risks of the project can be mitigated.