Dutch power grid operator TenneT warns of shortages by 2030

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - Dutch power grid operator TenneT said on Thursday electricity shortages could be possible in the Netherlands by 2030, as the switch from fossil fuels drives demand but power generation becomes increasingly weather dependent.

The electrification of production processes and the closure throughout Europe of flexible power plants running on coal, gas and nuclear fuel will make international supply uncertain, TenneT said.

Domestic supply will largely be enough to meet demand in the Netherlands until 2025, it said, but insecurity is expected to significantly increase towards the end of the decade.

In order to prevent shortages, electricity supply and demand will need to become more flexible, while new ways to store power from renewable sources need to be developed and connections with British and Scandinavian grids should be expanded, TenneT said.

The Dutch government last month said it was planning to build two new nuclear power plants by 2035, which should supply up to 13% of the country's total electricity production by then.

It is also seeking to develop ways to store large amounts of energy delivered by offshore wind farms in the form of hydrogen.

(Reporting by Bart Meijer; Editing by Mark Potter)