The electricity grid in Flanders is not strong enough to immediately and fully connect companies that require large amounts of electricity. Grid operators Elia and Fluvius are working on temporary solutions until the planned reinforcement of the grid is completed.

Grid operators Fluvius and Elia say they are overwhelmed by the number of requests for large electricity connections in Flanders. Not every transformer is strong enough to support the many data centres and industrial batteries that are springing up in the region.

To avoid the risk of overloading, grid operators cannot respond immediately to all requests for immediate full connection. If these requests were to be met anyway, there would be a risk of overloading the grid, says Raf Bellers, director of grid management at Fluvius. “Then a whole area would be at risk of being without electricity.”

Investments take time

Fluvius and Elia are investing billions of euros in Flanders’ power grid. But these investments take time, and there are long delivery times for materials. At the same time, the grid operators are faced with numerous and sudden requests for connections. 

No legal framework

Elia and Fluvius are working on temporary solutions until the planned reinforcement of the grid is completed. Because companies do not always need the full 100 per cent of their electricity, Fluvius and Elia want to offer them flexible contracts in the future.

Such contracts are not yet legally possible. But Energy minister Melissa Depraetere confirmed on Thursday that the government is working on a legal framework. She also said that Flanders will also have to take additional measures to fully solve the problem.

Flemish households are unaffected by the issue. “There is no problem with connections for heat pumps or charging stations for electric cars. The problem is with heavy industrial connections,” say the operators.