Green energy for train, bus and station
In 2017, our trains in the Netherlands became the first in the world to run for 100% on wind energy, giving travellers the option of travelling without CO2 emissions. In total, NS consumes around 1.2 TWh of electricity to power its trains. NS has signed a contract with Eneco to guarantee the supply of this electricity.
New sources
NS consumes 1.2 terawatt hours (TWh) of electricity each year, which is the equivalent of 1% of the Netherlands' electricity consumption, or the total electricity consumption of all the households in Amsterdam. The green electricity we use is generated by new wind farms, which have been brought into service in phases. Half of this electricity comes from the Netherlands, and the other half is imported from Sweden, Finland, and Belgium. See the table below for the current situation. This energy is directly traceable to individual wind farms, because we use the GVO European Certification System. If you would like to know more, click here.
Country and wind farm | Percentage of total wind energy 2020 |
|---|---|
| The Netherlands: Westermeerwind, Luchterduinen | 55% |
| Sweden: Mörttjärnberget, Ögonfägnaden, Svartnas | 34% |
| Finland Tohkojan, Jokela | 11% |
What else does NS do?
When the train doesn't run, NS schedules buses instead. Since 2019, the buses have been powered by HVO (Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil) made from processed deep fryer oil and industrial fats. This type of fuel is considered to be climate-neutral, as it does not cause CO2 emissions. Its production also does not use any natural raw materials or food production resources.
Stations are heated using heat exchangers, green gas or green electricity. Our ambition is also to use more of our own resources (buildings, property) to generate sustainable energy.