Brabant and Limburg power grid gets more space through ‘congestion management’

Some Brabant and Limburg companies will consume or generate their electricity at different times, creating space on the electricity grid for new suppliers and large consumers. National grid operator TenneT has made agreements for this.

New large-scale consumers and solar and wind farms in North Brabant and Limburg could no longer be connected to the power grid since June. This will be possible again from December, says TenneT against NRC. TenneT and Enexis have made agreements for this with current large-scale consumers and generators. According to NOS for example, a factory that shifts its production to the weekend, when the demand for electricity is lower, or a gas-fired power station that produces less when the sun shines and produces more in the evening, when solar panels no longer supply electricity.

In Brabant and Limburg, for example, 1700 megawatts of extra power grid space will be released, or ten times the consumption of Maastricht. 722MW of this is for companies, which would be enough for all large consumers who are now on the waiting list. 960MW is available for new wind and solar parks. According to TenneT, this is not enough to get rid of the entire waiting list. Until 2025, there will therefore be a shortage on the Brabant grid. In Limburg this would remain two years longer, according to research carried out on behalf of the Ministry of Economic Affairs.

TenneT has already tested this form of agreement with companies on a small scale in Zeeland and wants to further introduce this congestion management in places where the power grid is overloaded. This costs the administrator money. TenneT releases 23.5 million euros annually for the congestion agreements with companies. This concerns companies with a connection of at least 1 MW, which, as a result of the agreement, consume less than the maximum capacity of their connection. Companies receive compensation at market prices.