Over 14,000 businesses on waiting list to connect to congested power grid

Finding space for businesses on the overcrowded electricity grid is still proving difficult. The waiting list has grown from 12,000 to 14,000 businesses in just a few months, according to caretaker Climate and Energy Minister Sophie Hermans (VVD) in a statement to parliament. She wants to meet with grid operators and the business community. “There are no easy solutions anymore.”

Hermans had pinned her hopes on the flexibility of businesses that consume less during peak periods, thus freeing up space for others. This would allow for the better utilization of existing grid capacity, as long as the necessary expansion and reinforcement of the electricity grid have not yet been implemented.

But this approach “is not yet sufficiently implemented in practice,” the Minister now acknowledged. Grid operators are struggling to entice large consumers to participate. To make this measure truly successful, cooperation is also needed from businesses that are currently not affected by the grid congestion.

The power companies are already using gas generators to generate electricity at peak times in areas with significant capacity constraints. “Fossil fuel generation using gas is not a future-proof solution,” Hermans conceded. But according to the Minister, it could be a necessary step towards an economy in which companies transition away from fossil fuels.

Furthermore, the existing grid is being investigated for increased load. Grid operators are looking into whether this can be done without compromising reliability. The initial results are expected next month, with the final report expected early next year.