The power grid in our province is getting clogged up every month. Companies and institutions that use a lot of electricity will only be able to get a new power connection with a delay in the next five to ten years. Existing large-scale consumers cannot expand either, Enexis reports. The number of customers on the waiting list in our province has tripled since September 2022 and that number is still rising.
In June last year, grid managers TenneT and Enexis already announced that the high-voltage grid was almost at its maximum capacity in Brabant. Only when a large-scale consumer stops or when capacity is added by expanding the electricity grid, there is room again.
The expansion of those networks is in full swing, but takes a lot of time. In September, TenneT announced that by better coordinating consumption, feed-in and times of consumption, another 545 megawatts could be released for businesses. This capacity is now offered to customers on a ‘first come, first served’ basis.
Not everyone on the waiting list can be helped, says Enexis now. “Based on current projections, we expect to continue to experience wait times for corporate customers for the next 5 to 10 years.”
Off the gas
More and more companies are reporting to Enexis to be placed on the waiting list. “On the one hand, these are new companies. But there are also companies that want to expand with, for example, a new warehouse or new machines. And companies that want to get rid of gas and therefore need a new electricity connection,” explains a spokesperson.
Enexis and Tennet are working hard to expand the electricity grids in order to meet the demand for electricity. That is going slower than planned, because of the nitrogen lock. The spokesperson: “In order to expand the electricity grid, nitrogen is temporarily emitted during construction.”
‘Not a good signal’
The municipality of Den Bosch is disappointed with the news from Enexis. “The purchase stop means that our economic ambitions and those of our entrepreneurs will be severely limited. This is not a good signal. It also hinders the possibilities of larger companies in particular to become natural gas-free,” the municipality said.
Decisions about investments in the network are taken by the national government. “Nevertheless, we want to do everything we can to see what is still possible.” For example, the municipal council wants to enter into talks with Enexis in the short term to see what is still possible.
New distribution system
“For example, whether and how we can advise companies on new solutions outside the network. In addition, we want to investigate the possibilities for accelerating the expansion of the network. We are thinking of accelerated licensing that is necessary for the planned network expansions,” says the local authority.
Not only factories are affected. Large offices and schools where computers use a lot of power also need a special connection. There is talk of a different allocation system in which capacity is no longer allocated on the basis of registration time. The social impact is also taken into account. For example, a school or hospital should be given priority over companies.
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