Report on monitoring of reliability of supply 2010-2026

15-07-2011 The number of plans for new production of electricity in the Netherlands remains high. Between now and 2018, an expansion of 14 gigawatts (GW) is expected, which is an increase of over 50% compared to the current Dutch production capacity. This appears from the Security of Supply Monitoring Report, an annual overview compiled by TenneT TSO at the request of the Minister of Economic Affairs, Agriculture and Innovation. Partly thanks to its growing export potential, the Netherlands is playing an increasingly influential role in the development of the North-West European market.

The Security of Supply Monitoring Report 2010-2026 is based on a wide range of data, including information supplied by energy producers, and provides insight into the expected development of the demand for and supply of electricity in the Netherlands. Data from energy producers indicates that the export potential for Dutch electricity keeps growing. After many years of dependence on imports, the Netherlands is now self-sufficient in electricity and will see its export potential increase even further in the near future. By investing in high-quality infrastructure (cross-border interconnections and new connections), TenneT is facilitating this trend. 

International electricity market
This year, 1.5 GW of new production will be taken into operation. Between 2012 and 2014 another 7 GW will be realised. There are plans to take a total of over 14 GW of new production into operation between now and 2018. In the development of the North-West European electricity market, the attractiveness of the Netherlands as a location is increasingly emerging as a prominent factor in producers’ investment plans. Mel Kroon, CEO TenneT: "This development is one of the reasons behind TenneT’s expansion of its transmission grid. During the past year, an interconnection with England (BritNed) was successfully taken into operation, for example. Moreover, TenneT is working on a number of new interconnections with other countries, and is investing considerably in strengthening the market and in integrating sustainably generated electricity, both in the Netherlands and in Germany."

Effect of Atomausstieg
At the end of May 2011, the German government announced a so-called Atomausstieg. This means that all 17 German nuclear power plants, with a total capacity of over 20 GW, will be closed during the period up to 2022. Eight nuclear power plants, with a total capacity of 8 GW, have already been definitively taken out of operation. The production of the nuclear power plants will be compensated for by production of other plants in Germany and by imports from neighbouring countries. Electricity generated by production units in the Netherlands may also be used for this purpose in the future. The fact that the German nuclear power plants are being decommissioned, may result in a price increase in the coupled European electricity markets.

Future investments
TenneT is investing billions of euros in upgrading and expanding the high‑voltage grid over the next few years. This concerns investments which were also mentioned in the Energy Report that was published recently, i.e. guaranteeing the security of supply, promoting the development of the energy market and realising a transition to renewable energy. Strong international links will enable the Netherlands to benefit from price convergence and to integrate sustainably generated electricity, such as wind power and hydropower, more efficiently.

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Report on monitoring of reliability of supply 2010-2026 (pdf 788,26 Kb)