System services

An adequate electricity system is able to continuously produce all the requested energy and transmit it to customers. It will do so in a safe and reliable manner. Apart from meeting market demand, the system must be able to handle unexpected demand fluctuations or supply disruptions. Because electricity cannot be stored, the demand for electricity must always be covered by simultaneous production. If the demand and supply are not properly balanced, disruptions may occur. This may lead to a knock-on effect, causing the entire system to fail. Therefore, we must have sufficient reserve capacity available on the grid, and we must have sufficient production capacity as well – for today, tomorrow and in the longer term. TenneT continuously maintains the balance between demand and supply. This way, we can safeguard the continuity of the electricity supply.
System services are the services TenneT provides in order to:

• guarantee that the transmission of electricity across all grids occurs in a safe and efficient manner;
• resolve large-scale disruptions in the transmission of electricity;
• maintain or restore the energy balance on all grids in the Netherlands;

You can find more information on this subject under the Transmission and system services/system services tab.