Power grid congestion risks billions in economic damage
Flemish employers’ organisation Voka has warned that prolonged congestion on the electricity grid could cause billions of euros in economic damage if urgent action is not taken. The group is calling for industrial zones and port areas to be given priority access to limited grid capacity.
According to Voka, rapid electrification from heat pumps and electric vehicles to battery parks and data centres is placing increasing strain on the grid. The network is not equally robust across the country and cannot immediately accommodate all new business connection requests.
As a result, companies are facing growing delays in securing new grid connections. Voka says the situation is deteriorating quickly. “The number of projects that can no longer be connected conventionally is increasing exponentially," it said.
Investment at risk
Voka argues that without swift intervention from policymakers, regulators and grid operators, investment projects risk being postponed or cancelled altogether, slowing the roll-out of sustainable technologies and potentially costing the economy billions.
To tackle the congestion, Voka proposes prioritising industrial electrification projects in industrial and port areas when allocating grid capacity. It also calls on grid operators Elia and Fluvius to accelerate planned investments and manage waiting lists more effectively, so that mature projects can be connected more quickly.
Businesses themselves could also help ease pressure on the system, for example, by voluntarily releasing unused capacity. According to Voka, Fluvius has indicated that it is working on a solution.
#FlandersNewsService | © PHOTO ERIC FEFERBERG / AFP
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