Solar Magazine – Liander installs giant transformers for the extension of the Amsterdam power grid

The transformer has a capacity comparable to the electrical consumption of more than 30,000 new homes without natural gas.

Dec 2022
The construction of the new power station is necessary to be able to supply electricity to the housing construction in IJburg and to relieve some of the other power stations in the city. Liander plans to start using the station in December 2022.

Paul van Engelen, regional manager Amsterdam and responsible for the development of the Amsterdam electricity network, on the arrival of the giant transformer: “The electricity distribution station in Strandeiland will soon supply the whole of IJburg and relieve other parts of the city, such as the existing power station at De Hoogte.kadijk. This station will then have more space for the supply of electricity to the center of Amsterdam. The installation of a power station seems simple, but with the area of ​​a small football field and many incoming and outgoing cables above and below ground, this is a major challenge Spatial integration on Strandeiland went relatively quickly, partly thanks to good cooperation with the municipality and because Strandeiland is a “green meadow”.

29 new stations
To meet growing demand, the capital’s electricity grid will need to be doubled over the next 10 years. Grid operators Liander and TenneT will build 29 new power plants in the capital until 2035 and expand 12 existing plants. Many kilometers of additional electric cables are laid to meet the demand for electricity. It is therefore the biggest renovation that our century-old electrical network has ever seen. And this while there is a chronic shortage of technicians, materials and space.

Space in the city is limited both underground and above ground. This is why the municipality of Amsterdam and the network operators TenneT and Liander have drawn up an action plan, the “Development Framework for Electricity Supply Amsterdam 2035”. 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 City of Amsterdam and grid operators Liander and Tennet have also formed a joint task force to coordinate and accelerate the expansion of energy infrastructure, find ways to allocate scarce space on the grid in a socially responsible and devise smart short-term solutions. to network more effectively and thus create more capacity.