ACM lets grid operators offer energy contracts for use during off-peak hours – IT Pro – News

From February, ACM will allow grid operators to offer energy contracts without fixed transmission capacity. This means that companies can conclude an energy contract that they can use outside peak hours, for example to charge electric vehicles in the evening.

With the step the Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets wants to combat grid congestion. Currently, grid operators are only allowed to offer transport agreements with fixed transport rights. This means that when companies and private individuals conclude an electricity contract, the grid operator must ensure that the customer can use the energy at any time of the day.

An example where this poses a problem is with bus companies that want to switch to battery-electric buses. These buses are charged at night and require a lot of power, but during the day they require a lot less energy. In practice, there should be enough grid capacity on the energy grid, because adjacent factories, for example, do not operate at night and therefore use little energy. However, because the network operator with fixed transport rights is obliged to ensure that both those factories and the bus companies can use the full capacity at the same time, the network operator cannot connect the bus company in the event of fixed transport rights and network congestion. Including public transport company Arriva told Tweakers in 2022 that this is one of the biggest stumbling blocks to switching to battery-electric buses.

According to the ACM, other examples are companies that want to use a grid connection for battery storage systems and electrolysers. Because companies cannot always use these connections at full capacity, they receive a discount on the transport rate, according to the regulator. The ACM announced the plans in July 2023. From February 1, 2024, grid operators may offer energy contracts without fixed transport capacity in areas where the power grid is full. From February 2025, grid operators are obliged to offer these energy contracts in congestion areas.