The Ministry of Climate and Green Growth and Ministry of Housing and Spatial Planning of the Netherlands have amended the country’s Environmental Decree regarding the procedural acceleration of electricity projects.
The two government departments have published a draft decision covering how electricity projects deemed necessary for the expansion of the electricity grid can be accelerated.
The general administrative order covers the construction, expansion, maintenance or modification of an electricity transmission or distribution system with a voltage level of 21 kV or higher.
Decisions regarding the construction of future solar farms, wind farms, offshore wind projects or other electricity project installations are not covered by the decree amendment.
The change aims to speed up the time it takes to get permits for relevant electricity projects and is primarily focused on the establishment or amendment of an environmental plan, the decision on an application for an environmental permit or any construction activity related to the electricity project. It is a temporary measure, set to be in place until the start of 2032. The order also says an informed appeals procedure will be created for the duration of the designation.
According to the draft order, procedural acceleration of such projects is necessary to accelerate the expansion of the Netherlands’ electricity grid and alleviate grid congestion.
The draft amendment add that the procedural acceleration will broadly cover three types of projects. The first, covering 220 kV/380 kV connections and high-voltage stations, is expected to impact 10 to 20 projects by 2032. The second category, 110 kV/150 kV connections and high-voltage stations, is expected to cover approximately 100 to 125 projects by 2032. The third category, covering projects by regional grid operators with a voltage level of 21 kV or higher, is expected to encompass between 300 and 450 projects by 2032 across the Netherlands’ three largest regional grid operators.
“It should be noted that this is an expected number, and the exact number of projects is difficult to predict. The exact number will depend partly on the number of bottlenecks on the electricity grid that may arise in the coming years,” the draft order says. “This is not expected to result in a substantial increase in the number of projects.”
Minister of Climate and Green Growth, Sophie Hermans, has written a letter to the Dutch House of Representatives offering the chamber an opportunity to give its opinion on the draft decision before it is submitted to the Advisory Division of the Council of State and subsequently adopted.
Work on exploring acceleration measures for the expansion of the Dutch electricity grid has been ongoing since 2023, with findings incorporated into a legislative program entitled Faster Expansion of the Electricity Grid.
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