Today, the thousandth pile was driven in Wijster for the new electricity station that TenneT and Enexis are building together. Construction is on schedule and should significantly strengthen the Drenthe power grid.
The station will receive new 220 kV transformers and an additional connection to the high-voltage grid, allowing more power to be input and output. This should make the network more resistant to peak loads and disruptions, such as the recent power outage in Central Drenthe. The expansion also makes it possible to safely connect more solar and wind farms.
In addition to the new medium and high-voltage station, there will be an underground 110 kV cable connection between Wijster and the future station at the Riegmeer business park in Hoogeveen. The exact route is still being investigated. Later, the network operator will also set up such a station at Meppel-Noord. In both cases, construction will probably take 3 to 3.5 years.
According to TenneT project leader Anja Wanningen, the station is ‘a powerful engine behind the energy transition’ in the region. “We are not only realizing a completely new sub-grid, but also creating additional capacity that can be deployed in both Wijster and the Hoogeveen region.”