As a regional grid operator, we prioritise the interests of society in our work. Everything that is going on in society has an immediate impact on our work. Therefore, we pay close attention to important trends and developments, because these have an effect on our strategy. In this manner, we can react timely and anticipate.
The transition from fossil to renewable energy is taking place faster than anticipated. This is also due to geopolitical developments, the stimulation of CO2 reduction by governments and the limited availability of gas. More and more people are generating renewable energy themselves. A growing number of households and businesses are switching to electricity. The number of electric vehicles is also increasing. Whether and to what degree the recent shift in the political arena in the Netherlands will have an effect on this is still uncertain.
Insulation, heat pumps, solar panels, adaptation of the energy infrastructure - the energy transition demands large investments by governments, businesses, and consumers. In the meantime, it is becoming increasingly difficult to forecast energy prices due to the limited availability of gas, geopolitical developments, and fluctuating production levels of renewable energy. Energy fairness and household livelihood security are important societal and political issues.
The work package of the grid operators has grown significantly in the past few years. Further scaling up is becoming increasingly difficult due to shortages in various areas: skilled technical personnel and availability of space and materials. Thousands of skilled technical employees are necessary for the energy transition, for instance, technicians, supervisors, engineers, and IT personnel. However, these specialists are very hard to come by. This is also due to the ageing of the Dutch population. In addition, fewer young people are opting for a technical education. Regionally, there are large differences in the shortages on the labour market for the personnel necessary for the energy transition. Due to the shortage of raw materials and the large demand, materials are not always available. In addition, space is an increasing important issue for grid operators as the infrastructure requires more and more land and space and this is only available to a limited extent. Governments are making an effort to ensure that laws and regulations are speeding up the work instead of slowing it down.
AI and generative AI and virtual and augmented reality provide more insight and lead to better decisions and more efficient and effective service provision. At the same time, everyone is becoming more dependent on data and systems that are interconnected in a complex manner. The threat of cyberattacks is increasing worldwide.
Our strategy describes how we deal with the challenges in the changing energy system. Due to the current acceleration, the pressure on the organization is increasing, and waiting lists for a new or upgraded connection are growing. That is why Enexis's strategy focuses on three strategic objectives as we will explain in the section Our strategy in the energy transition.