Oct 18, 2023 at 2:04 PM Update: 27 minutes ago
The electricity grid is largely full in almost all provinces. More and more consumers and companies are using heat pumps, solar panels and charging stations. From 2025, grid operators will invest 8 billion euros annually to meet rising demand and prevent bottlenecks.
The outgoing cabinet wants to accelerate the expansion and is therefore taking extra measures, wrote outgoing Minister Rob Jetten (Climate and Energy) in a letter to the House of Representatives on Wednesday. “The electricity grid is largely full, probably full or almost full in almost all provinces.”
Dutch people have increasingly switched to electric driving in recent years. Furthermore, more and more consumers and companies are getting their energy from solar panels and heat pumps. The so-called electrification in our country is therefore in full swing.
The electricity grid cannot meet the demand. The grid is currently so full that no new major consumers, such as companies, will be able to establish themselves in the coming years. There are currently 6,600 companies on a waiting list. The situation in North Holland is so problematic that companies can no longer apply for a connection.
There is still sufficient room for small consumers such as households in most provinces. But in Flevoland, Gelderland and Utrecht they could be affected from 2026.
Measures to prevent power outages
The government is therefore taking measures to prevent power outages at the busiest times. This must be done, among other things, by ensuring that land is available for the construction of the electricity grid.
The government will also accelerate legal procedures and the granting of permits. “This can be done, for example, by designating certain extensions of the network as ‘important social interest’ in order to shorten the procedure by a year and a half,” says Jetten.
Thirteen thousand new people will be needed to expand the electricity grid in the coming years, while the technology sector is already struggling with a major personnel shortage. “We don’t have those people yet, so the expansion may be delayed,” says chairman Maarten Otto of Netbeheer Nederland.
Power grid especially full during peak times
The power grid is especially full during peak times, when companies and households use a lot of electricity at the same time. That is, for example, between 4:00 PM and 8:00 PM. Jetten therefore wants grid operators to make agreements with companies to consume or produce less electricity at these peak times for a fee.
The government is also making 166 million euros available to stimulate so-called energy hubs. Companies also coordinate their electricity supply and demand locally, so that less space is required on the power grid.
Sharing space through group contracts
Next year it will also be possible for companies to share the available space on the network with each other through group contracts. This way, a company can use space on the power grid that another company does not need at that moment.
Smart, controllable heat pumps and charging stations will become the norm in households in the future. This reduces the load on the power grid at peak times and leaves sufficient room for making homes more sustainable.
Investments in the electricity grid this year will amount to 5 billion euros. Next year that will be 6 billion euros and from 2025 it will be an annual amount of 8 billion euros.
2023-10-18 13:56:49
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