The first employees kicked off work for the New Energy Taskforce this January at the Port of Rotterdam, to support companies in tackling grid congestion. The Taskforce is led by Roger Knubben, who brings more than 25 years of experience in transition and strategy, including in the energy sector

The New Energy Taskforce is an initiative of the Port of Rotterdam Authority in collaboration with grid operators TenneT and Stedin. It is part of a broader program that was set up at the end of 2023 to tackle congestion in the port and surrounding areas. In addition to faster grid expansion and improved forecasting of electricity demand, the program also includes initiatives for more flexible electricity consumption.

To encourage more flexible power offtake, grid operators will launch separate flex tenders later this year. In addition, the Taskforce supports companies in developing broader solutions that can contribute to flexibility in power use.

Taskforce Director Roger Knubben: “We will work with the companies to look at the possibilities within their own site, but we think there is also a lot of potential for solutions at cluster level. Consider the design of energy hubs, where companies work together to coordinate the generation, storage, conversion and consumption of energy.”

A separate team was set up for the Taskfore, bringing together of people with knowledge of the energy sector and congestion problems, including experts from PoR, Stedin and TenneT. In the near future, they will be talking to companies in the port area to identify bottlenecks and opportunities for tackling grid congestion and work on possible solutions for each bottleneck.

Roger Knubben

Companies in the port area that encounter specific bottlenecks or problems can report to the Taskforce. Roger: “The grid operator remains the first point of contact if you need a connection or have questions about the waiting list. But if you want to talk about possible solutions, the Taskforce is there for you.”