European first: Rotterdam metros, trams to provide city with electricity

From Monday, the Rotterdam city transport company RET will supply electricity to other parties in the city from its own electricity network. This innovative solution for the overloaded electricity grid is a European first and can also work well in many other places in the Netherlands, RET director Linda Boot told AD.

“You can see our electricity network as one big extension cord through Rotterdam,” Boot said. “We have much more electricity available than our trams and metros need. Especially during off-peak hours and at night.”

RET technician Leo Vliegenhart first came up with the idea bout five years ago. “He saw that we have our own power network but only use power when our vehicles are moving,” Boot said. In recent years, RET further developed the plan and built a converter so that the electricity on the RET’s network can also be suitable for other applications. On Monday, the transport company will provide electricity to its first customers - the municipality of Rotterdam and the nature organization Zuid-Hollands Landschap.

The timing is excellent, given how little space there is on the power grid in and around Rotterdam, alderman Chantal Zeegers of climate, housing, and construction told the newspaper. “The situation is dire,” she said. “Schools, offices, and companies that want to expand cannot get a connection. In the port, this is also no longer possible in most places. They have to wait until 2032-2035.” The municipality will purchase 2,000-megawatt hours of electricity from RET for two new electric vehicle charging stations. That is equivalent to approximately 30,000 charging sessions per year.

Zuid-Hollands Landschap will use the power from RET for low-emission nature restoration in Natura 2000 areas.

RET director Boot thinks that this initiative can work well in many other places in the Netherlands. “Think of The Hague, Amsterdam, and Arnhem with their metro, tram, and trolley networks. ProRail can also apply this around the railway.” She pointed out that it is technically pretty simple to implement. “The idea is innovative, but the implementation is simple. All that is needed is a dedicated power grid and a permit to supply electricity.”