Power grid in Rotterdam and surrounds now also at max capacity

The electricity grid in Rotterdam and the surrounding area has reached its maximum capacity, grid operator Stedin announced on Tuesday. Large consumers who apply for a new connection or want to expand their existing one will now end up on a waiting list, the grid operator said.

The affected area includes a large part of Rotterdam-Zuid, Krimpen aan den Ijssel, Ridderkerk, and Barendrecht. Parts of Capelle aan den IJssel and Krimpernerwaard are also affected, as are small parts of Albrandswaard, Hendrik-Ido-Ambacht, Zuidplas, and Zwijndrecht.

To relieve pressure on the power grid, Stedin is investigating whether it can reward some large consumers for using electricity at non-peak times. Large consumers who would like to participate can register with the grid operator.

Stedin also appealed to households and small businesses to avoid peak hours on the electricity grid - between 4:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. in the winter. “By using charging stations and heat pumps mainly outside these peak hours, residents and businesses help relieve the electricity grid,” regional director Maarten Bijl said.

Stedin is working with TenneT on expanding and strengthening the grid around Rotterdam and expects it to have space again from 2029.

The power grid throughout the Netherlands is under pressure. Demand for electricity keeps rising as the country transitions away from natural gas for cooking and heating and fossil fuel vehicles.

Zuid-Holland is the only province in the Netherlands that still has some space on the electricity grid, though that too is getting scarce. All other provinces are colored red or orange, with some yellow spots here and there, on Netbeheer Nederland’s capacity map.

“Zuid-Holland still has some white spots because heavier grids were installed here due to the many industries,” a spokesperson for Stedin explained to NU.nl. “But throughout the Netherlands, the electricity grid is reaching the limits of its capacity and therefore expansion is necessary. All grid operators are working on this.”