Earlier this year TenneT announced a number of new congestion studies for Brabant, Limburg, Friesland, Flevopolder, Gelderland and Utrecht. The rapid growth of sustainable production in particular has created bottlenecks in various regions. The grid manager will then start a study into the possibilities of applying congestion management. Congestion management, in which flexibility plays an important role, allows for better use of the existing grid and creates room for new initiatives. The application of congestion management is a temporary measure on the way to structural grid reinforcements.
New regulations in development
New regulations on the application of congestion management are currently being developed. The current rules provide limited scope for applying the market mechanism, do not meet the challenges of the energy transition and are therefore in need of renewal. The outlines of the new rules were published by the regulator ACM in August. The consultation round has closed and the regulator has held a hearing on the views.
More opportunities based on new code decision
The new Grid Code will provide more scope for the application of congestion management, allowing more customers to be connected to the grid. Anticipating these changes, TenneT is therefore conducting congestion studies - in anticipation of the final code decision - on the basis of the new rules. In doing so, TenneT is for the time being applying its views on the ACM's draft decision. Once the Code is finalised, TenneT will update its studies as necessary. TenneT expects the studies to be completed as of Q1 2022.