In Utrecht the electricity grid is now so full that there is a threat of power outages. ‘Unorthodox measures necessary’

Unorthodox measures are necessary to prevent power outages in the province of Utrecht. For example, public charging points for electric cars along the street may close for part of the day. Plans for the installation of fully electric heat pumps in existing homes are also being postponed; hybrid heat pumps are first installed here. These houses will therefore still be heated by natural gas part of the time. Natural gas generators are also installed in several places. They must step in if power shortages threaten.

The measures were announced on Thursday by grid operators Stedin and Tennet, the province of Utrecht and the outgoing cabinet. “Electrification is progressing so quickly that we see the capacity of Tennet and Stedin reaching physical limits in 2026,” said Robert Kuik, director of grid planning at Tennet. If no action is taken, power will fail at unexpected times due to overloading of the electricity grid. “To prevent this, we must take measures now,” Kuik said.

Between 2026 and 2029, there is a risk of a shortage of 250 megawatts for so-called small consumers, such as households, self-employed people, small companies and sports clubs. This is an amount comparable to the electricity demand of 125 thousand homes.

One of the options to prevent ‘burning out’ of the grid is to stop connecting new homes, but according to the parties involved, this is ‘extremely drastic’, especially given the shortage of houses. In order to continue building homes in Utrecht, other ‘unorthodox measures’ are being proposed.

A notable measure, which Stedin (active in South Holland, Utrecht and Zeeland) previously hinted at, is the temporary switching off of public charging stations for electric cars. These will then turn off, for example, during the afternoon until the evening, when the demand for electricity is high, especially in residential areas. Motorists who want to charge their car on the street during power rush hours must wait until the pole returns power.

In the coming years, Stedin expects one hundred thousand charging stations to be added in the region. By temporarily switching off this, the grid operator thinks it can release 100 megawatts of power. In principle, this will allow 50,000 additional homes to be connected to the grid.

Reduce pressure

Installing hybrid heat pumps, instead of fully electric ones, should also help reduce pressure on the power grid. By heating homes with old-fashioned natural gas some of the time, 100 to 140 megawatts of power are released. According to Warmold ten Zijthoff, Utrecht regional director at Stedin, new residential areas that are planned as gas-free will not be reconnected to the gas network.

Furthermore, generators must be installed here and there that can provide electricity during peak demand, for example when it is very cold. Both grid operators will look to see whether there are market parties that want to supply such ‘adjustable generation’. In extreme cases, Stedin and Tennet will install generators themselves.

The exact details of the measures are not yet known, but that will happen in May.

Utrecht is not the only province where the situation is dire. Similar problems exist in Flevoland and Gelderland and drastic measures can also be expected in the long term, the network operators say.

But the situation is also becoming increasingly dire in other parts. Grid operators advise all citizens who live in an area where there is serious grid congestion (now almost all of the Netherlands) and who want to become more sustainable, to no longer buy a fully electric heat pump, but a hybrid variant.

The measures that are now being taken do not provide any relief for the six hundred major consumers in Utrecht who are still waiting for a more efficient connection. “This is mainly necessary to keep the power grid afloat,” says Kuik.