Solar Magazine – Amsterdam Power Grid Gets 29 New Distribution Stations to Meet Demand

Extending the power grid in a very densely built-up area like Amsterdam is a complex puzzle, according to Liander. In addition to building new power plants and expanding existing ones, Liander is to install more than 1,000 transformer houses in the city by 2030 and lay several kilometers of additional power cables.

Development framework
Space is limited both underground and above ground. This is why the Municipality of Amsterdam and Liander have drawn up the “Development Framework for Electricity Supply Amsterdam 2035” together with the high-voltage grid operator TenneT. In it, the 3 parties together outline the outlines of where, when and how the most important parts of the power grid can be extended.

The “Development Framework for Electricity Supply Amsterdam 2035” provides guidance. Where and when should what expansion take place? What can new stations look like and when should they be ready? In addition, the framework is expected to contribute to a more effective, faster and more efficient development of the main electricity infrastructure of the municipality of Amsterdam. For a number of areas, the location of cables or stations has already been determined. For the other zones, only search zones have been established within which the preferred locations must be searched. Exact locations are yet to be determined. Subsequently, procedures, for example for a zoning plan, must be followed and permits issued.

task force
A working group has been set up to solve the problems on the Amsterdam electricity grid. It is a collaboration between the network operators TenneT and Liander, the port of Amsterdam and the municipality of Amsterdam. The task force is looking at ways to accelerate grid expansion and better allocate scarce space on Amsterdam’s power grid. The Taskforce is also designing smart solutions to reduce congestion on the grid, for example by incentivizing companies to shift their energy consumption to quiet times.

Thanks to the Taskforce, the cooperation between the different parties has now intensified. As a result, shortened procedures for extending the network have been carried out, so that customers can be connected faster.

3 to 4.5 times higher
In 2050, the demand for electricity in Amsterdam will be 3 to 4.5 times higher than current studies by Liander and the municipality show. Sustainability plays an important role here: with, among other things, electric transport, heat pumps for homes and electric boilers for businesses. In addition, other factors in Amsterdam have at least as great an impact on electricity demand: data centres, economic developments and new real estate developments.

TenneT and Liander are jointly investing around 1.4 billion euros to realize the planned expansion. Most of the work will take place between 2023 and 2028.