Dutch power grid firm may ask customers to avoid peak hours

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - TenneT, the Dutch electric grid operator, said on Thursday it was looking into asking customers to avoid using the grid during peak hours in exchange for compensation, as a way to free up capacity.

TenneT, which is also Germany's biggest grid operator, is struggling to keep up with grid usage and demand for new connections. In addition to a 10-year, 13 billion euro ($13.5 billion) investment plan in the Dutch land grid, it is engaged in a 30 billion euro build-out of sea-to-land infrastructure for offshore wind farms planned by the Dutch and German governments.

"Where companies had indicated they wanted to get off gas in 2030, they are now saying they want to do it tomorrow," the company said in a statement.

"This is asking more from the existing electricity net, which cannot be expanded at the same pace."

The operator said it was conducting a market consultation to identify customers that would be willing to participate in a peak-hours scheme to reduce grid congestion.

($1 = 0.9632 euros)

(Reporting by Toby Sterling; Editing by Mark Potter)