Solar Magazine – Steden is looking for an additional 400 megawatts of physical space on the electricity grid

This year, Steden is building nearly 400 megawatts of new capacity, which is equivalent to doubling the energy supply of the city of Utrecht. For this purpose, 700 km of cables will be buried and approximately 400 new transformer houses will be installed. The network operator is investing a total of 924 million euros this year.

Get the exact time
Stedin's construction mission can only be achieved by working closely with municipalities and nature and environmental organizations, among others, to obtain the required space for the power plants in a timely manner.

This year the grid operator will build 30 large distribution stations. It is possible that this distribution station could be built smoothly – over a period of about 3 years – but this is hardly proportional to the time required to prepare for construction, such as obtaining underground and above-ground space. These long processes sometimes take up to 7 years.

Make profit
“It's possible to make a profit, but that's only possible if we work well together and are transparent about what we need from each other,” says Steden CEO Trudy Onland. “In cooperation with municipalities and other interested parties, we are focusing on accelerating structural changes in zoning plans, acquiring land and commercial rights for necessary infrastructure expansions. Acceleration will only be possible if we are prepared to share plans with each other at an early stage. Consider the arrival of a residential district A new or industrial area where the demand for electricity is increasing significantly.

Get the land
This year, Stedin will complete the capacity expansion at the main Terneuzen distribution station. There will be two new transformers here, each with a capacity of 90 MW. The additional energy released is allocated to sustainable energy projects in the region; A new solar park will be connected and the plant will have an important function for surrounding small businesses, suppliers and future solar projects.

Additional land was acquired to cover the required area of ​​7,600 square metres, which also provides opportunities for further expansion in the future. Acquiring this land and obtaining permits took two years, and had its fair share of challenges, such as extensive consultation with a nature organization due to an exemption from the Nature Conservation Act.

Master plan
Stedin is also working on a large-scale expansion at Zoetermeer. As part of the masterplan, 5 new stations will be built here. It is a complex project, as Steden relies on external decision-making and the work must take place in a busy urban area where there are often conflicting interests. A different layout applies to each subproject.

As for Zoetermeer Station 3, the municipalities of Zoetermeer, Pijnacker and Lansingerland are still discussing where this station could be planned. These five stations are expected to be ready in 2028.

Dual business school
Finally, Steden said that adequate technical staffing is essential to accomplishing the construction task.

In order to attract and train more employees, the network operator is doubling the capacity of its business school this year. Training time is also shortened by providing unit training and training people on the job.