AMSTERDAM (Reuters) -The Netherlands aims to spend an extra 35 billion euros ($40 billion) in the coming 10 years to stimulate energy transition and fight climate change, the prospective new government coalition said on Wednesday.
The spending is to come from a climate transition fund, the government said, and comes on top of existing subsidies for sustainable energy and home insulation.
Next to investments in hydrogen, heat and electricity networks, the new government said it would take preparatory steps for the building of two new nuclear reactors.
Together with planned extra spending on housing, health care, childcare subsidies and tax breaks for middle incomes, the government debt is expected to rise slightly to around 60% of gross domestic product by 2025, according to the new coalition plans, with a deficit of 2.5% that year.
Caretaker Prime Minister Mark Rutte presented the plans of what should become his fourth consecutive government since 2010 on Wednesday, alongside the leaders of the three junior partners that make up the coalition.
The coalition is formed by the same parties that have been in power since 2017, but it took a record 273 days to present their plans after the March 17 elections produced an inconclusive result.
($1 = 0.8874 euros)
(Reporting by Bart Meijer; Editing by Andrew Heavens, Alexandra Hudson)
