Mel Kroon sees many new challenges

"Society demands that we are creative"

TenneT has greatly stepped up its innovation activities in recent years. It has done so in response to various external developments, including European market integration and the process of rendering our energy supplies more sustainable. As Mel Kroon, President and CEO of TenneT, explains: "Society demands sustainable development and TenneT intends to lead the field."

TenneT has greatly stepped up its innovation activities in recent years. It has done so in response to various external developments, including European market integration and the process of rendering our energy supplies more sustainable. As Mel Kroon, President and CEO of TenneT, explains: "Society demands sustainable development and TenneT intends to lead the field." TenneT is playing a particularly active role in the development of an integrated energy market for north-western Europe. Mel Kroon predicts that the Netherlands will soon be the 'energy hub' of the entire region, and believes that TenneT will be closely involved in the process of integrating sustainable energy, including that from large-scale offshore wind farms, into the national grid. In 2002, when Kroon first came to TenneT, grid managers had little incentive to pursue innovation. "Our lines, grids and substations had shown a consistently high degree of reliability for many years. That was important, and it remains so today. TenneT is judged in terms of the security of supply, so that must be a key focus. Nevertheless, there are now many developments which must also be addressed. They include the emergence of an integrated regional market, increasing national and international demand for transmission capacity, and the desire for greater interconnection between national markets. These developments will all benefit the Dutch economy and the country's energy consumers, both business and domestic. The process of rendering our energy supplies sustainable must also be an international undertaking."

Energy hub

Kroon sees the 2004 decision to invest in the NorNed cable, the undersea connection between the Netherlands and Norway, as a prime example of TenneT's commitment to market integration, and to making cleaner hydroelectric power available to Europe as a whole. "We were not deterred by the pessimists who cited vast budget over-runs on other major infrastructure projects. We dared to take the risk because we were convinced that this cable would make a substantial contribution to the socio-economic wellbeing of our country." TenneT continues to pursue innovation in all its many forms. The Netherlands is now a leading player in the integration of the regional market. Kroon considers this only fitting. "We have a relatively small domestic market and that forces us to take a more European perspective. The Netherlands' geographic location makes it an ideal candidate to become an 'energy hub' for the entire European market. We should be proud of our part in innovations such as the interconnection of energy markets."

To maximise the benefits of market integration, TenneT will continue to invest in interconnections with other countries. Feasibility studies for a new undersea cable to Denmark are ongoing and will be completed in 2009. The plan foresees a significant role for wind power produced in Denmark. A second NorNed connection is also on the drawing board, while cooperation with the German transmission system operators has already been stepped up.

In the past, the Netherlands has been a net importer of electricity. It is now rapidly becoming a net exporter. "Our country is an ideal location for producers supplying the European market," Kroon explains. "Not only are there good transport routes for fuel and a constant supply of cooling water, but the transmission grid itself is of very high quality. There are new production units coming 'online' all the time. They enhance the security of supply and therefore bolster the Dutch economy. It falls to TenneT to ensure that the grid has the capacity to cope with this additional supply. We will therefore invest billions of euros in expansion during the next few years."

Smart grids

Another social trend which encourages innovation is the desire for sustainability. TenneT is currently investigating how to connect large offshore wind farms to the national grid in the most efficient manner possible. Kroon also foresees a future of 'smart' meters and grids which, due to the increase in decentralised generation from combined heat and power units, wind turbines and solar panels, are truly 'two way'. "It is all about balancing supply and demand as efficiently as possible. These developments call for a more flexible system. If there are high winds at sea at night and the wind farms can generate a substantial amount of sustainable energy, we must be able to 'buffer' or store that energy, given that demand will be extremely low at that very moment. We must therefore investigate new storage methods, such as the 'energy island' concept, hydro-electric turbines in disused mineshafts, or a million-strong fleet of electric vehicles. TenneT can play a significant part in all such innovations."

Wintrack pylon

Kroon contends that TenneT is now far more aware of the wishes of society, and is responding accordingly. This is inevitable. "Society demands that we are creative. And indeed we are: look at the new underground 380 kV cable in the Randstad region, which at twenty kilometres is the longest of its type anywhere in the world. If we were concerned solely with commercial interests, we would much prefer to lay these heavy-duty connections above ground for reasons of cost and reliability."

Another example of innovation in response to societal demand comes in the form of the Wintrack pylon. "The Wintrack concept is a direct result of the discussions about the possible health risks of exposure to electromagnetic fields. When the Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment reduced the permissible exposure levels, we did not put up a fight. Rather, we unleashed our creativity. Staff in various parts of the organisation came up with some excellent ideas as to how the electro-magnetic fields around these pylons could be reduced. Eventually, we settled on a design in which the cables are suspended from the pylon in a circular pattern. This does indeed reduce the electromagnetic fields, allowing buildings to be sited much closer to the new Wintrack pylon than to their traditional counterparts."

Open mind

An open mind is not only essential within the organisation, but externally as well, Kroon stresses. TenneT and its counterparts throughout Europe will cooperate even more closely in future, as demanded by the nature of European free trade agreements. TenneT has already joined forces with its German counterpart RWE Transportnetz Strom to set up a joint Security Service Centre which monitors the flow of electricity between the two countries. Kroon believes TenneT can learn much from other TSOs in areas such as efficiency in construction and transmission. "International cooperation is essential if the market is to be strengthened. We can learn much from each other's working methods and experience. TenneT will continue to innovate. At present we ourselves are one of the country's main 'consumers' of electricity. Innovation will enable us to reduce our grid losses. Cutting these losses by just 25% will make a significant difference."