The Netherlands is rationing electricity as its overloaded power grid buckles under the pressure of rapid electrification and ambitious climate goals. [emphasis, links added]
More than 11,900 businesses are stuck in a queue for access to the network, alongside public buildings including hospitals, schools, and fire stations.
Thousands of new homes are also waiting to be connected, with some areas warned they may have to wait until the 2030s.
The crisis has emerged as the country scrambles to cut carbon emissions.
And now experts are warning that Britain, as well as Belgium and Germany, are all ‘in trouble.’
The countries should ‘definitely’ see what is happening in the Netherlands as a warning, says Zsuzsanna Pató, from Brussels-based energy think tank RAP.
After shutting down production at the massive Groningen gas field last year, the Dutch government has pushed a fast transition to electric heating, solar power, and battery storage.
But the national grid has failed to keep pace, creating widespread bottlenecks and driving up costs.
Officials estimate €200 billion [US$232B] will be needed by 2040 to expand grid capacity. Electricity prices are already among the highest in Western Europe, and Dutch households face yearly tariff increases of up to 4.7 percent for at least the next decade.
To ease demand, operators are offering cheaper contracts for off-peak usage and telling major industries they may need to shut off entirely for several hours a day.
A national ad campaign is urging the public to avoid charging e-bikes and electric cars between 4 pm and 9 pm, when the grid is under the most strain.
The Netherlands has been one of Europe’s most aggressive adopters of green policies, aiming to cut emissions in half by 2030.
The shortage has alarmed local leaders, who say businesses are already pulling out of investment plans.
In Brainport, the high-tech southern region that is home to semiconductor giant ASML, Mayor Jeroen Dijsselbloem says no new grid capacity will arrive before 2027.
He said: ‘Everything is going electric and electricity infrastructure needs to grow massively. We need more than 100 medium substations and 4,000 small ones.’
Although the Netherlands is one of the worst hit, Spain has already experienced major power blackouts earlier this year, after its grid came under pressure during peak demand.
Thousands of people and many organizations were brought to a standstill shortly after midday on April 28 when the country was disconnected from the European electricity grid for hours. …snip…
But grid operators say they are also facing a shortage of 28,000 trained technicians, slowing down efforts to install the infrastructure needed.
For now, officials are looking at ways to squeeze more out of the grid without risking blackouts.
Despite the alarming report, officials close to the situation have tried to downplay its effect with one saying: ‘It’s nowhere near as bad anywhere else.’
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