The growth of the Eindhoven Brainport region is inhibited by a lack of electricity. Just like in many other places in the Netherlands, there is too little room on the power grid. 990 companies are on the waiting list for a larger or new connection, according to figures from network operator Enexis.
The region has had strong economic growth for years, but it is now under pressure. Companies would even consider leaving the Netherlands or knocking on the government for financial support, writes the NOS.
Thermo Fisher, the largest microscopen factory in the world with a branch in Eindhoven, has doubled in size and staff in the last seven years, but continuing to grow now seems difficult.
That is not only annoying for the company itself, says director Steve Reyntjes. “The technology that we make here is essential for society. For example, our microscopes played a major role in the design of Coronavaccins. And they can also contribute to solutions in the energy transition.”
Brainport
The Brainport region is a collaboration of 21 municipalities that together form the Tech heart of the Netherlands: with 476,000 jobs, the region contributes more to the national economy than Schiphol. The most famous company is chip machine manufacturer ASML.
News hour Speaked with dozens of companies, organizations and experts in recent weeks. One conclusion emerges from those conversations: Netcongestie, or ‘file’ on the electricity grid, is the biggest obstacle to economic growth in the region.
Only in 2033 space again
Kusters Goumans from Beek en Donk, which produces tech parts, also experiences the consequences. The company wants to expand and recently bought a building from the neighbors. The permits are round, the building plans are ready, but now it appears that the power connection will only be in 2033 at the earliest.
Far too late, says Mark Bonscharser of Eindhoven University of Technology. “They can’t wait that long and some are seriously considering settling across the border.”
Also at its university campus it is only possible to get extra power from 2033. “We have been familiar with cheap natural gas for too long. When the cover came to electrification, it turned out that it was not calculated.”
Scaling up barely possible
Tennet, the national manager of the High Voltage Network, acknowledges the problem. There was a response to the rapidly rising demand for electricity. Now that the power grid has to be expanded in a short time, it appears that there is a shortage of staff, material shortage and long -term procedures and environmental objections.
In the meantime, the Eindhoven University is trying to find solutions for the power shortage. And it was found: on the campus, companies have recently tried to distribute their energy more smarter. By using data, storage and coordination via software, it is possible to handle the existing capacity much more efficiently within a year.
“This is typically the brainport approach,” says Bonschanscher. “You sit around the table together and look for solutions together.” This month it will be tested whether such a model also works outside the university site.
But even if that test succeeds, the ‘file’ will continue to exist on the power grid. So microscopen builder Thermo Fisher hopes for government support.
“We are not the only ones,” says director Steve Reyntjes. “Many companies want and can grow. But without a solution to the limited power capacity, that growth will stop sooner or later. You can’t ignore that.”