Reducing or optimising connection capacity: a guide for businesses
Direct answer
Reducing or optimising connection capacity means aligning the contracted transport capacity of your Dutch electricity connection with what you actually use. You ask your grid operator to lower the contract value when you have long left part of it unused. This returns room to the grid and makes network load more predictable.
- Clear definition
- Data-driven assessment
- Risks and opportunities visible
- Practical next steps
Reducing or optimising connection capacity: scattered information versus Energy Intelligence
Many Dutch businesses once contracted generous transport capacity but structurally use only part of it, for example a site where machinery has been replaced by more efficient equipment. That unused headroom stays reserved and holds grid capacity that others cannot obtain. For the financial decision-maker, optimising is therefore both a cost question and a contribution to a grid that is congested in many places.
- Contracted transport capacity is the peak power you expect to need; connection capacity is the physical limit your usage can never exceed.
- You change the contract value through your grid operator's business portal, such as Mijn Liander or Mijn Enexis Grootverbruik.
- In an area with declared transport scarcity you can usually lower the value, but an increase joins a waiting list and is not guaranteed.
Insight
Traditional approach
Information is scattered across portals, documents, invoices or separate spreadsheets.
Modern approach
Data, context and interpretation are brought together into a clear decision picture.
Decision-making
Traditional approach
Choices are made based on averages, assumptions or occasional analyses.
Modern approach
Scenarios, KPIs and current measurement data make the trade-off more concrete and repeatable.
Follow-up
Traditional approach
Actions often stay non-committal or disappear into separate reports.
Modern approach
Follow-up actions, monitoring and reporting are linked to the same energy data.
How does adjusting your contract value work?
Your grid operator records two values. The connection capacity is the physical size of the connection. The contracted transport capacity is the maximum power you expect to need at peak moments during the year. Your actual usage can never exceed the connection capacity. To optimise, you usually adjust the contracted transport capacity. You arrange this in the customer portal, such as Mijn Liander or Mijn Enexis Grootverbruik, by selecting the connection and changing the contract value. The grid operator uses this value to forecast the load on the network.
- Connection capacity is the physical limit of the connection.
- Contracted transport capacity is the reserved peak value you adjust.
- Changes go through your grid operator's business portal.
- The grid operator plans network load based on your contract value.
When does this become relevant to you?
This becomes relevant once your contract value is structurally higher than your actual consumption or feed-in. Grid operators ask businesses to lower the contract value when it has long sat well above usage and there are no concrete plans to use that room. In an area with declared transport scarcity this matters even more: there you may not exceed your contracted transport capacity. If you exceed it anyway, your grid operator contacts you with a request to adjust your consumption or feed-in. If no adjustment follows, the grid operator can take further steps.
- You structurally do not fully use your contract value.
- Your connection lies in an area with transport scarcity.
- You feed energy back and must stay within the contract value.
- The grid operator asks you to adjust usage after an overrun.
What can you do to optimise?
Start with insight: compare your measured peak usage with the contracted value over a longer period. If your usage is structurally lower, you can reduce the contract value and return that room to the grid. Bear in mind that lowering is easier than increasing again later. In a congestion area an increase joins a waiting list and is not guaranteed. Besides lowering, flexible contract types exist. Examples are a capacity control contract, where you temporarily use less or more on request or in fixed time blocks, and time-bound transport rights for large-scale users. Some of these contracts are still under development and not available everywhere.
- Compare your actual peak usage with the contracted value.
- Lowering returns room, but increasing again can be harder.
- A capacity control contract steers your usage on request or in time blocks.
- Time-bound transport rights give large users flexibility in transport hours.
- Not every flexible contract type is available at every grid operator.
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