# Backup generators in Houten guard against winter power cuts

> Temporary standby generators are in place in Houten until the end of March 2027 to help prevent outages on the overloaded grid. A similar facility in Almere will follow in January.

Economy · published 2026-11-13 06:57 · https://nlnow.nl/a/emergency-generators-in-houten-back-up-the-power-grid/

Temporary emergency generators are in place in Houten from November until the end of March 2027. If needed, together they can produce 27 megawatts, enough to power about 27,000 households.

A similar emergency power facility will follow in Almere in January. Both are meant to get the grid through the cold, dark winter months. Demand for power peaks between 16.00 and 21.00, and the current grid cannot deliver it all. In winter there is little solar power and sometimes hardly any wind energy, while heat pumps and lighting run constantly.

The generators are a last resort. "They'll only be switched on as a last resort, if extra support is needed," said Peter Hofland, spokesperson for grid operator Tennet.

Grid operators are responsible for a safe and reliable grid. They want to prevent it failing during the evening peak.

A government campaign called "Zet ook de knop om" urges people to run washing machines, dishwashers and charging points during the day rather than at evening peak times.

The grid is especially overloaded in the area covering Flevoland, Gelderland and Utrecht, where little room is left. Climate goals, including going fully fossil-free by 2050, will push electricity use up further.

The country uses the most electricity in winter, CBS figures show. Net use hit 11,265 million kWh in January 2026, up from 10,827 million kWh in January 2025 and 10,526 million kWh in January 2024. In July 2026 it was 9,595 million kWh.

**Electricity use peaks every January, and each peak is higher** (million kWh; source: CBS)

- Sep 2023: 8557
- Oct 2023: 9050
- Nov 2023: 9475
- Dec 2023: 9936
- Jan 2024: 10526
- Feb 2024: 9424
- Mar 2024: 9273
- Apr 2024: 8623
- May 2024: 8776
- Jun 2024: 8605
- Jul 2024: 9016
- Aug 2024: 8954
- Sep 2024: 8669
- Oct 2024: 9342
- Nov 2024: 9835
- Dec 2024: 10283
- Jan 2025: 10827
- Feb 2025: 9619
- Mar 2025: 9314
- Apr 2025: 8572
- May 2025: 8915
- Jun 2025: 8906
- Jul 2025: 9219
- Aug 2025: 8872
- Sep 2025: 8841
- Oct 2025: 9586
- Nov 2025: 9951
- Dec 2025: 10481
- Jan 2026: 11265
- Feb 2026: 9810
- Mar 2026: 9585
- Apr 2026: 8876
- May 2026: 8953
- Jun 2026: 9459
- Jul 2026: 9595
- Aug 2026: 9225

## Background

- **Tennet**: TenneT is the grid operator that runs the high-voltage electricity transmission network in the Netherlands. It carries power from large power stations and wind and solar farms to the regional distribution networks, and it keeps supply and demand in balance across the grid. When the grid needs extra support, TenneT can call on reserve capacity, such as emergency generators.

From NLnow, news from the Netherlands in English. How stories are made: https://nlnow.nl/about/