TenneT to upgrade 800 km of power lines, expects up to 30% more capacity
Grid operator TenneT will replace cables on existing overhead lines, starting next spring near Breukelen, to ease pressure on an overloaded electricity grid.
TenneT is to upgrade about 800 kilometres of its existing overhead high-voltage lines. By replacing the cables between the pylons with new conductors, the grid operator expects to transport up to 30 percent more electricity over those lines.
The extra capacity is meant for households and businesses, and for the growing amount of electricity from wind and solar farms. The work responds to the overloaded grid.
Work on the high-voltage connections between Breukelen and Kortrijk begins next spring. Work is also planned near Krimpen aan den IJssel and Diemen, with connections near Beverwijk and Oostzaan to follow. In Overijssel, TenneT has already started upgrading the connection between Harculo, Raalte and Nijverdal.
TenneT plans to largely keep using the existing pylons and routes, so no extra space is needed for new high-voltage connections. During the work it also carries out maintenance: insulators and earth wires are replaced where needed, and parts of pylons and foundations are repaired.
Demand is rising because households use more electricity for heating and transport, and businesses are switching to power. "The capacity of the grid must at least double to meet the fast-growing demand for electricity from households and businesses," TenneT says.
TenneT
TenneT is the transmission system operator, the company that runs the high-voltage electricity grid in the Netherlands and parts of Germany. It owns and maintains the large pylons, overhead lines and cables that carry power from power plants and wind and solar farms to regional distribution networks. Because TenneT manages the national grid, its projects to expand or upgrade lines directly affect how much electricity can be transported and how quickly new connections can be made.