AERIUS Calculation and Nitrogen Report
Building, expanding or organising an event in the Netherlands? Dutch authorities will ask for a nitrogen calculation before they grant your permit. We produce it, at a fixed price agreed up front, and explain the outcome in English.
Does your project need one?
Almost any activity emits nitrogen: construction equipment, generators, lorries and vans, livestock, heating installations. Part of that emission settles on the ground elsewhere, and the Netherlands has a dense network of protected Natura 2000 nature areas that are already under pressure. That is why Dutch law requires you to show, before you start, how much nitrogen your project adds to those areas.
The rule of thumb: if your project sits within roughly 25 kilometres of a Natura 2000 area, a nitrogen calculation belongs with your permit application. In a country this size, that covers most locations. Two separate calculations are usually needed, because the authority assesses two different periods.
The construction phase
Temporary, but often the heaviest: excavators, cranes, generators, pile drivers and all the transport to and from the site, over the full duration of the works.
The operational phase
Permanent: the traffic your site generates once it is in use, the installations you run, and in agriculture the livestock you keep.
Projects we calculate
- New build, renovation and demolition
- Industrial and logistics sites
- Agricultural expansion and conversion
- Infrastructure and civil engineering
- Solar parks, wind farms and energy projects
- Festivals and temporary events
Submit first, calculate later is the expensive route. An application without the calculation is not refused straight away, it is put on hold until you supply one. Supplementing an application restarts the processing time of the whole procedure, which costs far more than the calculation itself.
What you receive
The calculation in the official model
Produced in the AERIUS Calculator published by RIVM and BIJ12. The same model, and the same grid of assessment points, that the authority checks your project against.
A report you can submit as it is
Complete with the source data, the assumptions behind it and the outcome, in the form Dutch authorities expect to receive it.
A check by a specialist who does this daily
The arithmetic takes minutes. The quality sits in the input: the right emission sources, the right project boundary, and someone reviewing both before it goes out.
The outcome explained in English
What the numbers mean for your project, in plain language, and what your options are if the result is not zero. We correspond in English throughout.
Questions from the authority answered at no extra cost
If the authority comes back with questions about the calculation after you submit it, we answer them. We consider that part of the job. Only if the calculation itself has to be redone, because your project changed, does the recalculation rate apply.
Fixed prices, agreed before we start
No hourly rate running in the background, and no invoice that turns out higher than the quote. You know the amount before we begin.
Home or small renovation
A single home, extension or small renovation with one clear emission source.
Businesses and projects
Per calculation. Construction projects, agricultural expansion, industry and infrastructure.
Recalculation
An update of a calculation we produced earlier, for instance after a change in the project data.
Events
Festivals, markets and temporary events. The price depends on size, duration and visitor movements.
All amounts exclude VAT. For an exceptionally complex project we agree the price with you in advance, so you always know where you stand before we begin.
How quickly you have it
Same day
Often achievable for a home or a straightforward project, as long as the project data is complete.
1 to 5 days
Larger projects with several emission sources, counted in working days.
Within a day
A recalculation of a project we handled before.
What delays a calculation is almost never the calculation
It is the waiting for project data. Send these four things with your request and the turnaround usually comes down to a single working day:
- 1The exact location, as an address or coordinates.
- 2The construction period and how the work is phased.
- 3The equipment you will deploy, with the hours per machine.
- 4The transport movements to and from the site, during the works and afterwards.
Do not have all of it yet? Send what you do have. Estimating the missing pieces is part of what we do, and we will tell you which assumption carries the most weight in the outcome.
If the outcome is not zero
A result above zero does not mean your project is off. It means the design now has to change, or a nature permit has to be applied for. Which route is cheaper depends entirely on the numbers, and that is exactly what the calculation shows you. The usual levers:
Different equipment
Electric or newer emission class machinery on the heaviest sources. Often the single largest reduction available.
Different phasing
Spreading the work changes the emission per period, which can be decisive for the construction phase.
Fewer transport movements
Consolidating deliveries and choosing routes deliberately, particularly on sites close to a protected area.
Apply for a nature permit
If deposition cannot be brought to zero, the route runs through a permit procedure. We tell you what that means before you commit to it.
Want to see what a change actually does to the number? We calculate alternative scenarios at the recalculation rate, so you can compare before you decide.
Why Hulsman & Partners
The price is fixed before we start
Most firms in this market quote on request and bill by the hour. We publish our rates, which means you can compare us before you make contact.
Nitrogen is daily work here
This is not a side service next to something else. Our nitrogen team runs these calculations every working day, which is why the turnaround is measured in days rather than weeks.
We stay involved after submission
Questions from the authority about our calculation are answered at no extra cost. A report that gets rejected helps nobody, so we would rather finish the job properly.
One partner for Dutch and EU obligations
If you are importing into the EU as well, the same firm handles your CBAM compliance. Two regulatory files, one point of contact, in English.
Frequently asked questions
What is an AERIUS calculation?
It determines how much nitrogen your project emits and how much of it settles on protected Natura 2000 areas. It is produced in the AERIUS Calculator, the official model published by RIVM and BIJ12. Dutch authorities assess your application on the outcome of that model and accept no other method.
When does a project need one?
As a rule of thumb, once your project lies within about 25 kilometres of a Natura 2000 area and involves construction, demolition, expansion or a significant number of vehicle movements. In a country the size of the Netherlands, that covers most locations.
Can we produce the calculation ourselves?
Yes, the AERIUS Calculator is free and publicly available. The model is not the difficult part. Defining the project boundary and entering the right emission sources, equipment hours and transport movements is, and a wrong assumption usually surfaces only when the authority rejects the report.
Do you work with companies based outside the Netherlands?
Yes. You supply the project data and we handle the Dutch side: the calculation, the report in the form the authority expects, and the questions that follow after submission. We correspond in English throughout, so you always know what has been submitted on your behalf.
Is one calculation enough?
Usually not. The construction phase and the operational phase are assessed separately, so most projects need both. If your project changes afterwards, the calculation has to follow, which is what the recalculation rate is for.
Need an AERIUS calculation?
Send us your project details and we will tell you what it costs and when you will have it. Usually within the same working day.