Dutch electricity grid operator Enexis has secured a €500 million financing facility from the European Investment Bank to fund its 2026 investment programme to expand, reinforce and renew parts of the power network.
The funding will support work in five provinces — Groningen, Drenthe, Overijssel, North Brabant and Limburg — covering around 4,600 kilometres of power lines and related infrastructure, the EIB informed on Tuesday.
Enexis said the programme includes upgrading and expanding cables and transformer stations, as well as using digital tools to manage the grid more intelligently.
The works backed by the facility include about 2,800 kilometres of medium-voltage cables and 1,800 kilometres of low-voltage cables — the parts of the network that distribute electricity at different levels before it reaches homes and businesses.
Focus on growing demand and new connections
Electricity use is rising as more power is generated from solar and wind and as households, transport and businesses rely more on electricity, the bank said, adding that this is increasing demand for new connections and for capacity to move power through the network.
The EIB declared that reinforcing the grid in Enexis’ service areas will “increase the security of the electricity grid” and help businesses and households access electricity where capacity constraints are an issue, citing Vice-President Robert de Groot.
“The energy transition requires investments on a scale and at a pace we have not seen before,” Enexis chief financial officer Marjanne van Ittersum said, adding that the financing supports the company’s 2026 investments and “strengthens the diversification and flexibility” of its funding.
