Scenario that Moerdijk village will not be dissolved is "feasible," State Secretary says

State Secretary Jo-Annes de Bat (Climate) has informed the Tweede Kamer in a letter of new estimates of the land area required for development around the Brabant villae of Moerdijk. The scenario in which the village will not be dissolved is “feasible,” the CDA politician concluded.

De Bat is not yet making a final decision. Among other things, it still needs to become clear how the area can remain livable and what the outlook is for industry around Moerdijk.

In December 2025, residents of the 1,100-person village demanded 350 percent compensation after the municipality offered full value for their homes amid plans that could lead to the village’s disappearance. Many said they felt blindsided by local, provincial, and national authorities as energy projects were scheduled to begin in 2028.

The national government will not seek additional space near Moerdijk for new circular companies. “This will have to be accommodated in other areas in the Netherlands that have been reserved for that purpose,” De Bat writes. He is also not pursuing a major expansion of the Port of Moerdijk.

The state secretary lists further developments that would reduce spatial demand in the area. According to De Bat, developments in the energy system and industry require less land, batteries are becoming more efficient, and hydrogen ambitions have been scaled back. Overall, the claim on space would be “significantly lower.”

The bottom line, De Bat estimates, is that roughly 200 hectares will still be needed. Demand for land in the surrounding municipalities is not increasing either. An earlier plan had spoken of 450 hectares.

A year ago, the municipal council of Moerdijk voted in favor of the village's disappearance. Shortly afterward, in December of last year, the authorities involved were due to take a decision, but that was postponed by six months. A scenario in which the village can continue to exist subsequently re-emerged.

“Residents of the village of Moerdijk and the surrounding region have rightly been asking for clarity for some time,” De Bat said. Last week the state secretary declined to tell the ANP when he will make the final decision, and his letter likewise gives no indication.