Higher energy bills due to power grid expansion

Households will pay significantly more next year for the use of the electricity and gas grids. The increase is mainly due to the major investments needed to expand the overloaded electricity grid.

An average household is expected to pay an additional 89 euros for the electricity grid next year. For the gas grid, another 52 euros will be added to that. In total, this amounts to approximately 140 euros per year, or nearly 12 euros per month.

The Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) expects grid rates to rise by an average of 19 percent. The exact rates will be set in December and may vary by grid operator.

Expansion of the electricity grid

The sharp increase is primarily due to the expansion of the electricity grid. Over the next fifteen years, an estimated 235 billion euros is expected to be invested in this expansion. New cables and power stations are needed to meet the growing demand for electricity.

The costs of these investments are being passed on to households more quickly. Costs incurred by grid operators in recent years will also be factored into the rates in the coming period.

As a result, this year represents an outlier. The ACM expects grid rates to continue rising in subsequent years, but at a rate of about 5 to 6 percent per year.

The gas grid is also becoming more expensive. As fewer and fewer people use gas, the costs of the gas grid must be spread across fewer connections.

Political decisions

The grid operators warn that political decisions are needed to prevent costs from rising further. They argue that, for example, by better planning where new homes and businesses will be built and when electricity is used, it is possible to prevent the power grid from being expanded unnecessarily.