Dutch cabinet says Moerdijk village may survive, but no final decision yet

A smaller industrial footprint

On Tuesday, 10 November, state secretary Jo-Annes de Bat (Climate and Green Growth, CDA) wrote to the House of Representatives that the land needed to expand the port and industrial area around Moerdijk can be reduced to 200 hectares, down from the 450 hectares previously considered necessary. Under this scenario the village of Moerdijk could survive. The cabinet has stopped looking for extra space near Moerdijk for large-scale circular companies, which would instead be directed to other areas in the Netherlands reserved for them. A large expansion of the Moerdijk port is no longer being pursued, and changed policy is expected to reduce demand for space. Battery storage for a planned energy facility is set to become more efficient, and ambitions for hydrogen have been scaled back.

Earlier estimate450

Current estimate200

Earlier estimate

450 hectares

Current estimate

200 hectares

Data from the article text

Still no final decision

Roughly 1,100 residents have lived in uncertainty since November 2025, when the municipality announced that the whole village had to make way for the expansion of the industrial area. The council reluctantly approved that plan, but the province of Noord-Brabant and the national government had doubts and repeatedly postponed their final decision. In June 2026, a new cabinet put forward the scenario in which Moerdijk could remain. De Bat said in a debate with the House that month that going along with the municipality's decision would have been the easiest path.

“Going along with the municipality's decision would be the easiest path.”

De Bat has not yet made a final choice. He will decide only once liveability is guaranteed across the whole municipality, not just the village, and the letter gives no date for that choice. Research must still establish whether the area stays livable with more noise and smoke, and the letter does not say how long that research will take.

Residents split between hope and frustration

The Dorpstafel Moerdijk action group says it is cautiously optimistic about the new plans, but adds that there are still no guarantees. The second group, Bewonerscollectief Moerdijk, is sceptical and says the letter has not ended the uncertainty for residents.

“On paper these are very beautiful words from the state secretary, but for us nothing has changed at all.”

The municipal executive is also cautious. Alderman Danny Dingemans, who is responsible for the file, wrote to the council that it would be positive if the village gets a sustainable, liveable future, but he cannot judge whether the scenario delivers that, and research must answer his questions. Some residents have already decided to leave. One of them told Trouw in March that his family had lived in the village for five generations and that he saw no future there for himself and his family.

Energy hub and what comes next

Moerdijk is meant to take a key position in the Dutch energy network, and the Powerport project is what the village expansion was originally intended to serve. Geertruidenberg would host an electricity station where offshore wind power comes ashore, while Drimmelen would mainly receive cables and pipes linking the facilities. Under the new scenario, about 200 hectares would be sought on the existing port terrain and along the Roodevaart, and the Krukweg in the Nassaupolder had already been designated for a high-voltage station. The timing of the final decision has not been set.