News Nitrogen
Schiphol turns cow emissions into gold
There is suddenly a lot of discussion and uncertainty about the price of nitrogen rights. After all, how much does such an emission allowance cost? Until recently, €45 per kilo was charged in the eastern Netherlands, but Schiphol indicates that it pays up to €500.
The national government, which is slow to take a decision about creating a barrier between ammonia rights and NOx, but which itself also buys rights for widening motorways, keeps its own expenditure per kilogram purchased scrupulously secret. Even with a Woo request it cannot be retrieved. "Landsbelang," says a ministry official. But a settlement with an Overijssel farmer in 2021 shows that less than € 15,00 was paid per right, a pittance compared to what Schiphol coughs up.
The nitrogen market has suddenly gone wild west now that it has come out that the Schiphol Group, contrary to what was officially stated earlier, is fully engaged in acquiring emission rights, and at what prices. € 16 million has already been spent, while a small € 10 million more is ready.
Op ammoniarights.nl €100 per kilo is also charged for a batch of nitrogen rights, but that is the maximum. Until now, the price of nitrogen rights also depended on the part of the country where the rights were for sale, on the proximity of nature and more other factors . Schiphol turns that picture upside down. Every emission allowance is good and at enormous prices, just to be able to take to the air a lot and often enough. And the semi-public company has deep pockets.
The exciting question remains whether the use of agricultural ammonia allowances for NOx emissions from traffic is really permitted? Another question is whether aircraft emissions are also more acceptable than cow emissions.
Klaas van der Horst
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