CO2 emissions in Rotterdam port rose due to increased electricity generation

(Posted on 04/05/26)

Greenhouse gas emissions at companies in the port of Rotterdam industrial cluster increased by 2.1 Mton (11%) between 2024 and 2025. This is evident from emission data published by the Netherlands Emissions Authority (NEa). The increase was primarily due to the higher levels of electricity production. Stronger foreign demand for electricity led to higher output in 2025 by Rotterdam’s coal- and gas-fired power plants, which play an important role in the European energy system.

As the largest dry bulk port in Europe, the port of Rotterdam has all the facilities required for the storage and transhipment of dry bulk cargo.

Greenhouse gas emissions from companies in the port of Rotterdam amounted to 21.2 Mton in 2025. The five power plants in the port area emitted a combined 1.6 Mton (33%) more greenhouse gases in 2025 than in the previous year due to increased electricity generation. Production at the four refineries also increased, leading to 0.3 million tonnes (4%) more greenhouse gases compared with the previous year. The port's share of national greenhouse gas emissions in 2025 was 14.5%.

Throughout the Netherlands, electricity production from gas, coal, and solar reached a record high, as did electricity exports to European countries. Abroad, power plants were undergoing maintenance, and less electricity was being generated from hydropower and wind. Exports to Germany increased by almost half. The main reasons for this are reduced wind power output off the German coast and lower hydroelectric generation in Switzerland and Austria due to lower water levels. Almost a quarter more electricity was exported to Belgium, primarily due to reduced electricity production at Belgian nuclear power plants.

The 6% increase in Dutch electricity production from renewable sources such as solar and wind was insufficient to meet European demand. Therefore, more electricity was generated from coal (+25%) and natural gas (+11%) across the Netherlands. About a quarter of this came from Rotterdam. The coal-fired power plants in the Rotterdam port area produced 38% more electricity in 2025 than in 2024, while the three gas-fired power plants produced 25% more. This led to a comparable increase in CO? emissions compared with 2024.

Total CO?e emissions in 2025: 21.2 Mton (due to rounding). Other greenhouse gas emissions (0.1 Mton).

The supply and processing of crude oil in the port increased in 2025 due to higher refining margins in Northwest Europe, leading to 0.3 Mton (4%) more emissions at the four refineries in the Rotterdam port area. In the other sectors in the port, emissions in 2025 were 0.3 million tonnes (32%) higher than in 2024. A major cause of this was the restart of the waste incineration plant, which has been back in operation since October 2024 following a one-year shutdown after a fire in October 2023.

The European energy system is interconnected, with countries balancing out each other's peaks and troughs in production. Coal- and gas-fired power plants provide controllable power, playing an important role in balancing the electricity supply. When electricity demand exceeds the supply from renewable sources, this demand is often met by additional generation from fossil fuel power plants, which is typically accompanied by higher CO? emissions. That direct relationship between production and CO? emissions changes when electricity is generated using renewable fuels such as biogas or biomass, in combination with CO? capture and storage.

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