European electricity transmission network operator TenneT plans to invest around €22bn in the development of onshore and offshore electricity infrastructures in Germany and in the Netherlands over the next ten years.
In the Netherlands, the company will invest in the maintenance of the existing onshore grid and in onshore expansion to accommodate larger and more volatile electricity flows. The most prominent projects are the North Ring of the Randstad 380 kV connection, the South-West 380 kV and North-West 380 kV connections, and the upgrade of the national 380 kV ring. In addition, TenneT will continue to develop an offshore AC grid in the Dutch sector of the North Sea, targeting 3,450 MW of offshore wind capacity to be operational by 2023.
In Germany TenneT will invest in onshore AC infrastructure and offshore DC grid connections, with a view to the energy transition (Energiewende). Over twenty large projects are currently in the planning or implementation phase. In addition, TenneT is currently planning two first of a kind DC connections on land to secure the power supply in southern Germany in the future. By 2019, TenneT expects to have completed 7,100 MW of offshore connection capacity, exceeding the German government’s target of 6,500 MW of installed offshore wind energy capacity by 2020.
In 2015, TenneT invested €2.4bn in fixed assets, including €1.46bn in grid connections for offshore wind parks, €473m in the Netherlands, €466m in the German onshore grid and €6m in non-regulated activities.