Step by step toward a natural gas-free municipality by 2050

Many people have already heard about it: in the future, we will no longer use gas for heating, cooking, and hot water. In West Maas en Waal, almost everyone currently heats their home or building with natural gas. This will gradually change, step by step.

Off gas by 2050

The goal is to be natural gas-free by 2050 at the latest. That’s 30 years from now. It may seem like a long way off, but we need that time to find new solutions and prepare our homes and businesses for a natural gas-free future.

Why are we phasing out natural gas?

Burning natural gas releases CO2, which contributes to climate change. By signing the Paris Climate Agreement, the Netherlands has committed to reducing our CO2 emissions. In addition, the earthquakes in Groningen have led us to accelerate our phase-out of natural gas.

Heat Transition Vision

Like all other municipalities, we are therefore working on a Heating Transition Plan. The goal is to stop using natural gas by 2050. The vision outlines which alternatives to natural gas are promising in our municipality. For each village, we are examining the possible options for achieving gas-free living and the insulation required per option per home. The transition from natural gas to a sustainable alternative is a process that will take decades. That is why it is important that we start now. At the end of 2022, our municipal council adopted municipal council Heat Transition Vision.

What's next?

We will assess at the village or neighborhood level where it makes the most sense to start. In doing so, we will listen to residents’ wishes. Perhaps there are active residents, village platforms, or energy cooperatives that see opportunities in their village. Additionally, it is easier for some villages to transition away from gas than for others. Once we have a clearer picture of this, we will determine the best approach.

Working together to find feasible and affordable solutions

We believe it is important that sustainable solutions are feasible and affordable. We are eager to explore the possibilities together with our residents and involve everyone in this process as much as possible.

Exploring options for generating heat from water

Due to grid congestion (capacity issues on the power grid), we are also exploring alternatives to electric heating. One aspect of this is heat from water (aquathermal energy). As a municipality, we have an abundance of river water. For our municipality, this could be a future source for heating our homes. We have joined a collaborative project for this purpose. You can find more information about this technology on the Rijkswaterstaat website: .

What can you do right now?

You can already start preparing your home for a natural gas-free future. Here’s how:

From cooking with gas to electric cooking

Are you planning to have a new kitchen installed soon? That’s a great time to switch to electric cooking. Be sure to get expert advice on the electrical connection, as installing an induction cooktop may require modifications to your electrical panel.

If you don’t want to switch to electric cooking right away but are planning to renovate, have an electrical line run to the kitchen now. That way, you can easily make the switch later.

Check to see if your pans are suitable for electric cooking. You’ll need pans with a magnetic bottom. You can easily test this yourself with a magnet.

Do you live in a rental property?

You will then hear from your housing authority or landlord if there are any plans for your home. First, they will explore the options for making the homes natural gas-free.

More information

Would you like to learn more about saving energy, generating energy, or living without natural gas? Then make an appointment with our energy help desk at .

Frequently Asked Questions About Natural Gas-Free Living
Step-by-step guide to natural gas-free living