According to grid operator Enexis, the need for expansion of the power grid in Southeast Brabant is enormous, but the region does not get priority when it comes to expanding the power grid. The grid operator’s investment plan reveals difficult communication between regional municipalities and the grid operator anyway.
Late last year, the Ministry of Economic Affairs wrote a letter stating that due to economic interests, the region should be given priority in solving the capacity shortage on the power grid, also known as grid congestion.
However, while communicating with the Eindhoven Metropolitan Region (MRE) the grid operator Enexis stated not to be impressed by that letter. “The letter came so late in the process that nothing can be done with it in the context of prioritization.” According to Enexis, there are also capacity problems in other places in the country, making expansion of the power grid badly needed.
It is then bad luck for this region. The difficult communication between the ministry and Enexis is not an isolated case. The exchange between the MRE and Enexis shows that communication between the grid operator and local government is also difficult.
Astonishment
The MRE is surprised to know the number of places that have capacity shortages. In Aarle-Rixtel, Eindhoven North and South, Helmond East, and Maarheeze, there are shortages. However, the 2022 investment plan did not mention it. “It is important to improve the cooperation between grid managers and governments on this issue, where risks are made discussable earlier. We note that the lack of risk sharing continues to disrupt trust between the region and the grid operators,” the MRE wrote.
Enexis has a new way of analyzing energy consumption. Hence, the grid operator says they came to know about the bottlenecks now.
Planning
The MRE says that serious problems are looming with the lack of long-term planning at Enexis. The municipalities are planning in terms of the spatial task until 2040. There are many building plans in the region, but how much space and where space is needed for the expansion of the power grid is not clear now. “If this is not clear in the short term, the required space will soon be unavailable,” says the MRE. Such planning would be discussed for the first time this year.
1 in 3 streets
Enexis reports that the high demand for energy network expansion is playing tricks on the grid operator. Of the more than 100 projects planned in North Brabant, almost everyone mentions delays due to staff shortages. The task is enormous, Enexis points out. “In the coming years, about 1 in 3 streets will be opened up to enable sustainability in residential areas. Hundreds of grid stations will be added in the neighborhoods and many cables will be laid,” it says.
Source: Studio040
Translation: Chaitali Sengupta
