MARKET STIMULATION
It is still not clear what type of market stimulation alternative will replace the Dutch subsidy programme in 1996 after it is abolished. According to Marjolein Wester, energy spokesperson at the Ministry of Economic Affairs, the only agreement so far is that sustainable energy sources (wind, solar and biomass) will be exempted from a proposed energy levy, an eco-tax, planned for 1996. This exemption will amount to an extra NLG 0.04/kWh for wind energy -- a sum too small to bridge the gap between the price of a coal-fired kWh and a sustainable kWh from wind. Another possible market stimulation device is to pay for wind power at a premium rate, either by requiring the electricity distributors to do so or by encouraging them to voluntarily recognise the full value of wind energy. Wester refuses to elaborate on this possibility, other than to confirm that premium price talks are continuing between the ministry and EnergieNed, the organisation of electricity distributors.