The power grid in Brabant must be closed urgently and a special coordinator has been appointed for this. Ben Voorhurst will start immediately and in cooperation with the provinces of Brabant and Limburg and the Ministry of Economic Affairs, he must solve the problems of enormous capacity as quickly as possible. This is to prevent companies from not being able to connect to the power grid in the future.
Ben Voorhurst has been appointed by the Minister for Climate and Energy Gettin and the provinces of Brabant and Limburg. He previously participated in the 2019 Climate Agreement on measures to achieve climate goals. He was the chief operating officer of TenneT until 2021.
TenneT and counties are making an urgent appeal to companies to voluntarily limit the amount of electricity they use. The amount of reserved energy is often much higher than the actual consumption.
In addition, TenneT monitors orders that have already been received but are not yet needed. This is also saved energy that hasn’t been purchased (yet). This way, the network operator actually collects some extra space.
With man and strength
Also, search in congestion management Completed quickly. This study looks at which companies are willing to buy temporarily less electricity if they are paid for. This study will not be ready until the end of the year, but efforts are now underway to complete it early. “We try to free as many people as possible to get this clear as quickly as possible,” says Evge van Gorbe of Tenet.
In Brabant and Limburg, several companies that want to store energy in large batteries have already registered. In Limburg this is a total of 300 MW, in Brabant about 200 MW. This amount of electricity is comparable to the consumption of the city of Den Bosch.
I have not finished yet
This is an important role for the new coordinator, because the legislation is not yet ready for it. “Batteries are still seen as a new customer, so that’s not allowed,” says Van Gorbe. “The coordinator should talk to the Dutch Consumer and Markets Authority (ACM), which oversees the energy market, to change that.”
The county also wants to get rid of the rule that whoever applies for contact first will also be the first to get it. So she wants more options quickly. The spokesperson says, “In the short term, the various measures will create some additional space. So we want to use this scarce space for projects of greater social value. So we will continue to pressure the coordinator to see what is possible.”
emergency procedures
The counties also want urgent action to get the new energy bill through the Senate and House of Representatives as quickly as possible. Urgent Need Drips. Minister Cetin believes that this will not last long.
At the beginning of June, it was announced that no new company could be connected to the electricity grid in Brabant and Limburg for the time being. Nor is there any other place for existing companies that want a heavier connection. The high voltage network in both counties is almost at full capacity.
In order to increase capacity, TenneT will invest nearly €2 billion in both counties over the next 10 years. For example, the existing 380 kV connection (electricity highway) between Gertraudenberg and Maasbracht will be enhanced. In Brabant, work is underway on new high-voltage substations in Halstern, Boxmeer and Tilburg, among others. But it will take years before they are ready, when the need is already over.
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