Netherlands energy bills to be €60 higher by 2022

Consumers in the Netherlands can expect more increases in their energy bills in the coming years. In 2022, the energy bill will increase by at least 60 euros per year. And that increase may already be introduced in steps from 2020, homeowners' association VEH said to the Telegraaf. 

Recently the operator of the high-voltage network Tennet won a lawsuit against regulator ACM, which allowed the company to retroactively pass on higher costs of investments in the network to consumers. VEH worries that there will be more and more investments in the energy network, which will all be passed on to the consumer.

The networks of regional operators Enexis and Alliander are currently struggling under the large number of wind parks and solar parks that need to be connected to them. And Tennet also plans to invest at least 12 billion euros to connect wind farms on the North Sea, according to the newspaper.

Households' energy bills consist roughly of one third consumption, one third taxes, and one third grid management costs. "The continuous rise in network management costs is insufficiently visible to politicians in The Hague", VEH said to the Telegraaf. The association calls for quick clarity on the increase in network management costs and the consequences for the affordability of the energy bill. 

This increase comes on top of the expected higher energy taxes on gas in the coming years. In January, the energy bill already rose on average by more than 200 euros per household per year, according to the newspaper.