“Our projects have a major impact on our stakeholders”, says Jelle Wils, Community Relations Manager at TenneT (Dutch Transmission System Operator) “and the energy sector is developing faster than we can handle.”
In The Netherlands, the effects of the energy transition are also felt in TenneT’s high-voltage network. In the past, it was mainly the power stations that generated and distributed electricity, but the situation has become more complicated. A growing number of wind and solar farms and also private rooftops are taking over from a small, fixed number of power stations. With a large volume of rapidly emerging energy suppliers with a highly variable capacity, the current high-voltage network is not only outdated, but in a number of places it is inadequate as well.
Jelle and his teams have been dealt the difficult task of informing, involving and motivating the stakeholders in a bid to renew this network. At least 700 projects are scheduled for the next 10 years, of which 250 are already ongoing at the time of writing. In 2050, the whole of The Netherlands needs to be gas-free and everything depends on the quality of the electricity network. Jelle spoke to SitePodium about his role and how he ensures that high-impact projects still generate support amongst the parties involved.
The world is changing
When thinking about high-voltage cables, large pylons in the middle of nowhere likely come to mind. But the projects that Jelle is involved in, are not limited to the countryside anymore. The world is changing, and even TenneT’s high-voltage network has reached the edges of cities and built-up areas.
There are reasons for this development. Jelle explains to me that electricity consumption in industrial suburbs has risen significantly, as they also work on becoming more sustainable. At the same time, households are increasingly running only on electricity as well, and cooking, driving and heating can all be done gas-free.
The projects that Jelle works on consist of installing new high-voltage cables, replacing existing power highways and everything that comes with it, such as building high-voltage stations and creating new connections. It is a race against time. “The energy transition is happening faster than we can handle. The current network has reached its full capacity and there are almost 10,000 users waiting in line to be connected.”
A challenging task
It is both the outdated network as well as the large number of related procedures that create this bottleneck. TenneT also has to deal with other challenges, such as the availability of employees and materials, creating support in the area, and finding sufficient space. The entire surface of a new high-voltage station can take up more than 6 football fields.
Clear and targeted communication is therefore important, and TenneT does this carefully and precisely. First, all stakeholders are mapped out and from this, a communication plan is drawn up. Even though the communication methods often overlap, no one is the same and each stakeholder group is approached separately. The methods used range from walk-in evenings for local residents to kitchen table discussions for agricultural companies.
SitePodium plays an especially significant role in creating support in the area. Our app is used for almost all projects that Jelle is responsible for. It is the tool with which TenneT encourages a dialogue with the area, because Jelle is certain that “support from stakeholders is a prerequisite for these projects”.
Creating support
For TenneT, SitePodium is more than a tool to inform local residents quickly and directly. Jelle’s teams use it for educational purposes, to announce disruption, to communicate milestones, and simply for sharing some fun facts. The installation of a transformer at a power station is not only communicated as dry factual information. They also explain what it does and how many households it can supply with electricity as additional education for interested parties.
According to Jelle, the big advantage of a tool like SitePodium is that it stimulates interaction. And that is important, he indicates, because “it offers an accessible way to contact a large and seemingly unapproachable organisation that is disrupting the area. It offers people the opportunity to ask questions, and they get answered fairly quickly. It forces us as an organisation to be more transparent and proactive.” It is this transparency and also the accessibility that creates support among stakeholders. They no longer deal with a fenced-off fortress, but with an approachable company that listens to them, that shares information and that keeps them in the loop. Even though not everyone will be happy with the roads that are closed, the noise pollution that is caused, and the temporary installations that are built, this is a lot easier to accept if everything is properly shared and explained in advance.
The future
TenneT will certainly have work until 2050 and when I ask Jelle about his predictions, he brings up the significance of stakeholder support again. “This will be even more important in the future, and support and transparency go hand in hand.” It is not just sharing good news, but also outlining dilemmas, entering into dialogue, and giving people a voice. Social value, which is already a major concept in Great Britain, will also become important in The Netherlands in construction projects in the energy transition and beyond.
As will technology, according to Jelle. “The app will become a matter of course among people” he says, “and increasingly part of Dutch society.” That is a vision of the future that we are already looking forward to.