145 customers start to generate electricity every day

Enexis can see the acceleration of the energy transition happening

The proportion of sustainable energy distribution system operator (DSO) Enexis Netbeheer transmits continues to rise. In 2017, 53,000 customers made the move to producing their own electricity. The speed at which the energy transition is taking place creates a challenge for the grid operator. The limited availability of technicians in particular will present a dilemma for society in the coming years. That is apparent from the 2017 annual report published by Enexis Holding N.V. today. Managing the electricity and gas grids is and remains the most important societal task for the network company, that is also focusing on accelerating the energy transition.

Peter Vermaat, CEO Enexis Groep:

“2017 was a year in which change was evident throughout society. For example, customers are increasingly saving or generating energy themselves, as are municipalities, energy cooperatives and suppliers. Everybody is becoming more involved in the energy transition and is making their own energy decisions. This was noticeable in the number of applications for new connections for feeding in energy to the grid. However keen we are to accelerate the energy transition, this change also raises new issues. A lack of qualified technical staff or available materials can act as an obstacle preventing the grid operator from installing wind farms or solar farms on time. To deal with this, we are training extra technicians in the Enexis Vocational College and we are making our processes more efficient so that we can cope with a greater workload. Within our organisation we need to better cope with the unpredictability of sustainable projects. Progress is often dependent on provincial or municipal decision-making processes and the agreement of local residents. That requires flexibility in our planning and investments. We have ambitious plans, but we are taking realistic steps to accelerate the energy transition. Enexis is taking the initiative to work in collaboration with other companies, government, consumers, cooperatives and knowledge institutes towards innovative, scalable solutions. Only by joining forces can we create solutions that will be workable for all parties.

Key figures

*Work on the grid: investments and operating expenses including addition for general expenses. (2016 includes investments for Endinet)

Excellent grid management

In our digital society, electricity is becoming ever more important. This is why the DSO does everything in its power to prevent outages and to solve them as quickly as possible. In 2017 our customers had an average of 13.8 minutes without electricity (2016: 15.2 minutes) and 50 seconds without gas (2016: 45 seconds). The average outage time for electricity in the Netherlands was 24.4 minutes. In addition to smart grid solutions such as distribution automation, grid operator Enexis is also continuing its strong focus on the prevention of excavation damage, a major cause of power outages. Working safely remains equally important for us and we continue to ensure that safety regulations are followed at all times.

To keep our grid in optimal condition and to guarantee a safe and reliable supply of gas and electricity, we invested EUR 756 million in our energy infrastructure in 2017. Making choices and taking decisions regarding these long-term investments is preceded by a careful weighing up of important factors such as reliability, safety, statutory requirements, costs, customer satisfaction and sustainability.

Accelerating the energy transition

We support the national climate and energy agreement that will contribute to a low-CO2 energy system and prepare ourselves as much as possible for reducing natural gas. In the energy transition, every area has its own opportunities and challenges relating to energy. We help provinces, municipalities and housing corporations to create a mix between all forms of energy that are locally-available such as heat, biogas and electricity. Together we make an area-based plan of approach for each residential area’s future infrastructure in the coming ten years. In 2017 we drew up concrete energy plans with a range of stakeholders. Due to the high rate of technological development, we believe that the most sensible energy solution is often opting for a pragmatic answer. Improving sustainability of heating demand is a good example of this. In existing residential areas, we do not phase out the gas grid if there is no other heating solution available in the short term. Instead, we advise customers, municipalities and property developers to make the switch to hybrid heat pumps to make heating demand more sustainable. This allows us to reduce CO2 emissions at the lowest possible societal cost.

At € 207 million, the 2017 profit for the year of Enexis Holding N.V. remained the same as in 2016. In part due to a strong focus on efficiency, we exceeded our profit forecast. A robust financial position enables us to achieve our core tasks of ensuring a reliable and affordable energy supply and to enlarge our contribution to the transition to a sustainable energy supply.

• Annual report 2017