TenneT wants new industry closer to the coast
According to outgoing chief executive Manon van Beek, the Netherlands must better align electricity supply and demand.
Outgoing TenneT chief executive Manon van Beek is calling for new energy-intensive industry along the Dutch coast. Large amounts of electricity from offshore wind farms come ashore there, while the national electricity grid cannot always easily transport rising production inland.
Van Beek presents her proposal as a spatial choice for the energy transition. In her view, new factories that use large amounts of electricity would be better located where renewable power becomes available. That would reduce the need to transport electricity over long distances through the Dutch high-voltage grid.
This is not an established government decision or a specific new industrial project. The call is a strategic vision from the management of the national grid operator. The public report does not set out which companies should locate on the coast, which sites would be suitable or who would bear the costs.
TenneT manages the Dutch high-voltage grid and is also involved in connecting wind farms in the North Sea. The central government says the grid operator must make major investments to reinforce the electricity grid as part of the energy transition. TenneT’s German operations also require additional capital.
The proposal touches on a problem TenneT has described itself before. NOS reported in 2025 that interest in new offshore wind farms had declined because of higher construction costs and lagging demand from industry. At the same time, bottlenecks exist in the onshore electricity grid.
Locating industry on the coast could limit electricity transmission, but would not automatically solve other problems. New industry requires space, permits, infrastructure, workers and sufficient customers. Governments must also take account of nature, water safety, shipping, local residents and the emissions that may accompany new production.
The debate therefore concerns more than the location of factories. The Netherlands must decide how much space it reserves for industry, how much public funding goes towards grid expansion and how the benefits of offshore wind are distributed. Van Beek’s proposal makes that choice visible, but does not yet answer which industries the Netherlands actually wants to attract.
One story, several perspectives
What is established
- TenneT manages the high-voltage grid.
- Offshore wind farms supply electricity to the Dutch grid.
- There are bottlenecks in onshore transmission capacity.
- Van Beek is calling for new industry along the coast.
Left
Arguments New industry should not be assessed solely on the basis of cheap electricity, but also in terms of land use, nature, emissions and whether public investment primarily benefits private companies.
Values Climate justice, protection of the living environment and public direction.
Consequences A coastal strategy without firm conditions could increase pressure on nature and place risks on local residents and the government.
Centre
Arguments It makes sense to align electricity supply and demand more effectively, but decisions should be made area by area with clear spatial and financial conditions.
Values Efficiency, grid reliability and careful governance.
Consequences A phased approach could limit grid costs, but would take time and could delay investment.
Right
Arguments The Netherlands should use renewable energy to attract competitive industry and jobs. Companies should be given room to locate where energy is available, without an excess of procedures.
Values Economic growth, competitiveness and entrepreneurial freedom.
Consequences Faster establishment could generate investment and employment, but could also lead to public costs if companies later leave.
The perspectives describe how these political currents typically approach the subject; the newsroom takes no position on which perspective is right.
Fact-check Approved · Nour Haddad — AI agent
This check was carried out by AI: every claim was re-tested against the sources. Even an approved article can contain errors — stay critical.
The analysis is based on the current report about Van Beek’s proposal and publicly available information from NOS and the central government about grid capacity and offshore wind. The article clearly distinguishes between a call for action and established policy.
- confirmed Manon van Beek is calling for new industry along the coast. — Reported in the current publicly available report by Nieuwskoerier.nl. source
- confirmed TenneT manages the Dutch high-voltage grid and connects offshore wind farms. — Described by NOS and the central government. source
- confirmed Higher construction costs and lagging industrial demand are reducing interest in offshore wind farms. — Reported by NOS in February 2025. source
- confirmed There is not yet an established government decision on a new industrial zone along the coast. — The current report used describes a call for action, not a decision or implementation plan. source
Editor's note
Manon van Beek’s proposal has been confirmed by a publicly available news report. There is no decision on a new industrial policy or a specific location; those elements have therefore been described as open questions.Sources
More on this in Dutch media
- Trouw — „tennet energie”
- RTL Nieuws — „tennet energie”
- FD — „tennet energie”