A new power station the size of 13 football fields should ensure that Brabant has enough electricity again in the future. It will be located in Tilburg Noord and will be one of the largest high-voltage stations in the country. It is desperately needed, because the electricity grid is currently full.
We are all generating more and more electricity via solar panels and wind turbines. Electric cars also ensure that we consume more and more. This puts the power network under increasing pressure. In June last year it was announced that no new companies will be connected to the electricity grid in Brabant and Limburg.
Motorway
TenneT’s new 380 kV high-voltage substation is one of many investments to restore the power supply in Brabant. Because grid operator Enexis also announced on Wednesday that it is investing heavily in the electricity grid. Enexis will build 15 new high-voltage stations in Brabant over the next ten years and expand 35.
“You can see the Enexis stations with 150 kV as an 80-kilometer road, we are the highway with 380 kV,” explains spokesperson Ronald Sutmuller of network manager TenneT. “They take care of the regional network, we take care of the national one. You need it all to be able to accommodate all the power. To be able to handle more demand, but also more supply.”
Wind turbines
In the coming years, several fields of wind turbines will be built in the North Sea. The energy generated there ultimately ends up at the new high-voltage substation in Tilburg.
TenneT director Roel Jannink: “The wind farms in the North Sea are connected to a platform. From there, cables go to the high-voltage grid on land. It is distributed in Tilburg so that people in the area receive green energy from their sockets.”
The new high-voltage station will be ready in 2026. According to Jannink, it is ‘a robust solution’ for the problems with the power grid. But according to Enexis, it does not immediately solve all power problems. Because there are too few technical staff, there will remain a shortage until at least 2026. “The harsh message, but unfortunately reality,” Enexis said.
Wijkevoort
The municipality of Tilburg has advanced plans for a new industrial area: Wijkevoort. It is not yet certain whether there will be enough capacity to supply this with electricity in the future, an Enexis spokesperson said: “We are in good consultation with the municipality and aim to immediately open this industrial area as soon as it is ready. It is not possible to say with certainty at this time whether this will be possible.”
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