Dutch Overloaded power grid: Over 9k business clients on waiting list

More than 9,000 business customers of grid operator Enexis are currently queuing for a new or upgraded power connection, despite record investments in the electricity grid. This is over a thousand more than last year. Because the power grid is congested in many locations, the risk of overload and outages is increasing.

Grid operators are investing hundreds of millions of euros into expanding the power grid but are encountering various bottlenecks. The problems revolve around a lack of space, a shortage of technical personnel, complex permit procedures, and restrictions due to nitrogen regulations, Enexis reported. The company operates the grid in the provinces of Gorningen, Drenthe, Overijssel, Noord-Brabant, and Limburg.

Enexis previously said that increasing measures are needed in some locations to prevent overload, and in extreme cases, customer disconnections. This is especially a problem on very sunny days, when a lot of electricity is fed back from solar panels and little electricity is consumed.

Enexis invested €889 million in the first half of the year, primarily in expanding and upgrading the electricity grid. That is €241 million more than in the same period last year. The grid operator’s net profit was €192 million, €70 million more than last year.

A previous study by several national government departments revealed that the costs of using the electricity grid will rise sharply in the coming years. On average, these costs for households could be up to €700 higher in 2040 than they are now. An estimated €195 billion in investments will be needed by 2040 to expand and strengthen the electricity grid, according to the study from March.

Grid operator Stedin, which operates in most of Zuid-Holland, Zeeland, and Utrecht, is also seeing waiting lists grow. According to Stedin, the measures currently being taken to resolve the power problems are insufficient. “Much more is needed to achieve a robust energy system,” the grid operator said. Stedin invested €610 million in the past six months in expanding and strengthening the energy grid, 18 percent more than last year.