Energy transition
Offshore wind, hydrogen, battery storage and the spatial consequences of energy infrastructure.
- Analysis
Sand is not running out, the space to extract it is
On 19 August the government announced that coastal nourishment may take priority over commercial sand extraction if space on the North Sea runs out. Sand thereby becomes the third scarcity onshore infrastructure projects have to plan for, after nitrogen and grid capacity.
Read more → - Knowledge Base
Grid-conscious housing: six steps to a neighbourhood that fits the network
The electricity grid increasingly decides whether a housing scheme goes ahead. Grid-conscious construction is presented as a technical fix, but it stands or falls on the agreements between municipality, network operator, developer and resident. A practical guide.
Read more → - Policy
Landing offshore wind on land: VAWOZ now puts the choice with the regions
Until 2 July 2026, the draft VAWOZ 2031-2040 programme is open for public review: the routes and locations through which future North Sea wind farms will come ashore. Behind the technical story of cables and converter stations lies a stakeholder challenge that lands in five regions at once, one that can be steered, or left to drift, in the current consultation phase.
Read more → - Projects
A 200-megawatt battery next to the neighbourhood: storage as a stakeholder challenge
TenneT is contracting large batteries to relieve the congested grid: the first, Sequoia near Oosterhout, is rated at 200 MW. But the battery that saves the grid still has to stand somewhere. The bottleneck shifts from grid capacity to siting, safety and public support.
Read more → - Knowledge Base
Energy hubs: the coordinator role as the key to collective grid capacity
Connection waiting lists, an Energy Act that enables collective contracts and a regulator that adds households to the queue from 1 July: energy hubs have moved from research topic to a serious option for business parks. The decisive factor is not technology, but coordination.
Read more → - Policy
The new Energy Act 2026: what does it mean for stakeholder and environmental management in energy infrastructure?
Since 1 January 2026, the new Energy Act has been in force in the Netherlands. Network operators become system operators, the connection obligation lapses during congestion, and prioritisation determines who gets capacity and when. What are the consequences for stakeholder and environmental management?
Read more → - Analysis
The national hydrogen network: stakeholder and environmental management for the energy carrier of the future
The Netherlands is building a national hydrogen network connecting industrial clusters from Rotterdam to Groningen. What does this mean for stakeholder and environmental management along the route?
Read more → - Analysis
A cable tunnel beneath the Western Scheldt: technical feasibility, cross-sections and landing options
The energy transition in Zeeland requires a new 380 kV connection beneath the Western Scheldt. This article explores the technical feasibility of a cable tunnel, cross-section options and landing possibilities.
Read more → - Innovation
The Distribution Substation: experience environmental management in an interactive game
Where do you place a distribution substation when every location sparks resistance? In The Distribution Substation you experience the environmental manager's dilemma.
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