“Pretty worthless.” This is how Emmen councilor Pascal Schrik responds to the news that the construction of the high-voltage station at the Boerdijk in Veenoord is being delayed. Instead of 2029, national grid operator Tennet is talking about 2033 and possibly even 2035. And that has consequences for the plans for housing and business in Emmen.
The high-voltage station is part of Tennet’s billion-dollar investment to provide more air to the overcrowded power grid in the Netherlands. In addition to Emmen, the whole of South Drenthe will benefit from the arrival of the installation at Veenoord.
For that reason, Emmen worked at top procedural speed when it came to adjusting the environmental plan and granting permits. “Everything was green,” said Schrik. “And then you are suddenly told that the station will not be ready until between 2033 and 2035. That is a huge disappointment.”
The councilor says that he first received signals at the beginning of October that the schedule would not be met. During a meeting for SMEs, with around 160 entrepreneurs in the room, Tennet already indicated that there may have been ‘a small delay’ in the planning for Boerdijk. “They didn’t mention any deadlines at the time, but for me it was already a signal to pay attention,” says Schrik.
A week later, the municipal council visited the location together with the council. “There was again talk of a small delay. But the planning was still for 2029. We immediately asked questions, but Tennet only wanted to respond after their investment agenda would be published at the end of October. At that time I assumed it would be months rather than years.”
That investment agenda made short work of that expectation. “In the best case scenario we are talking about a three-year postponement, in the worst case scenario five,” says Schrik. Emmen wants to realize around 10,000 homes by 2040. The councilor does not yet dare to say whether that ambition is in danger.
The councilor expects major consequences for the business community in Emmen. According to him, more than 150 companies in Emmen are now waiting for a power connection. “These are new companies that want to establish themselves here, but also existing entrepreneurs who want to become more sustainable. They can’t continue now because there is no capacity. For them, this is just, in my own words, a lot of shit.”
Schrik does not expect companies to move en masse to other regions. “In Coevorden and Hardenberg, for example, the same problems arise due to grid congestion. Nationally, 400 of the 900 projects are delayed. So it is not the case that companies elsewhere simply receive power.”
The councilor says that Emmen is doing everything it can to maintain the original planning, i.e. 2029. “We will be talking to Tennet and Enexis on Thursday. We want to know exactly what the cause is and what they will do themselves to prevent delays.”
If no satisfactory answers emerge from the consultation on Thursday, he does not rule out that Emmen will increase the pressure together with the province and the business community. “In that case, we can make a stand together. As a region we will then be stronger than alone.”
The regional business community is also concerned about the delay of the high-voltage station. According to director Herman Idema of Ondernemend Emmen, the news means that entrepreneurs in the region will be affected by the shortage of power capacity for longer. “We have been struggling with grid congestion since 2019. And now it may take another five years.”
Entrepreneurial Emmen will sit down with Tennet and Enexis on Wednesday to discuss what is still possible. “We want clarity about the causes, but above all action. Everyone is disappointed: we, the municipality, but also Tennet itself.”
According to Tennet spokesperson Mark de Weerd, the delay has several causes. “An appeal has been submitted to the Council of State against the Boerdijk location. For this reason, we have deployed our employees on other projects. Contrary to expectations, the Council has quickly taken a positive decision.” This created a capacity problem. The search for replacement workers also took longer.
In addition, additional soil investigations were necessary at the Boerdijk location. Construction contractors are also faced with a shortage of people and materials, which in turn has consequences for planning.
De Weerd: “We realize that this is an unpleasant message for Emmen and entrepreneurs in the region. We will of course do our best to keep the impact of the later delivery date as small as possible.”