During the permit procedure, Enexis asked the Municipality of Assen for permission to also carry out another expansion at Zeijerveen station. They want to replace an existing coupling transformer with one with much more power. It involves upgrading one transformer from 40 MVA (megavolt-amperes) to 90 MVA.
The transformer will be packed in a so-called sound house, so that local residents will experience less noise nuisance than they currently have. TenneT and Enexis have held talks with local residents about the expansion. The transformer station is located right next to the Kloosterveen residential area. There is mainly concern about more noise. There have been complaints for years about an annoying humming noise from one of the older transformers.
As a result, Tennet will pack two of the three transformers in a sound house to reduce the noise. Some local residents think this is not enough. They want a sound house around all three transformers. But according to TenneT, the limited gain in less noise from this transformer does not outweigh the high costs. These amount to between 250,000 and 500,000 euros.
Residents wanted the municipality to force TenneT to also pack the third transformer. But according to the municipality, it cannot enforce this, because TenneT meets all noise standards.
Alderman Cor Staal (CU) calls the Zeijerveen transformer station ‘an important link’ in the electricity supply in Assen and the region, and expansion is necessary. “Due to the energy transition, we are increasingly becoming an energy-producing province. That is why network operators have to expand the capacity of the network if we want to move forward with sustainability.”
The Asser council approved a declaration of no objection this week, allowing the Municipal Executive to issue an environmental permit for the second expansion phase. Residents can still appeal to the Council of State.
In addition to strengthening the Zeijerveen transformer station, new electricity cables are also needed to expand the capacity of the power grid. Because the transformer station is located right next to the residential area of Kloosterveen, and in a cycling and walking area, Enexis Netbeheer has to take a critical look at how it wants to lay all the cables in the future.
She wants to do this by ‘smartly bundling the cables in a zone’. The grid operator wants to make a room reservation for this. “This should prevent a new route having to be devised for every required cable,” says Enexis. The cables run from Zeijerveen transformer station to two access points, where there is sufficient public space to connect initiatives in the area. These access points are located on the northeast and south side of the transformer station.
The future cable routes offer space for fourteen cables, which can be laid in phases. This does not endanger the security of supply and the quality of the electricity grid, says Enexis. In 2023, the grid operator wants to start using the new cables at Assen.