Alfen and Liander work together to solve moisture issue in Pacto transformer substations
The Netherlands, 28 March 2024 – Alfen and Dutch grid operator Liander have been working together to strengthen the electricity distribution network, manage increased demand for electricity and enable the country’s transition to zero carbon.
In recent months, some low levels of moisture have been discovered in a number of Alfen’s Pacto medium voltage transformer substations that were recently delivered to Liander. Liander uses these substations to connect homes and businesses to the grid.
Both companies take this issue very seriously. There are no direct safety risks, and electricity supplied to households and businesses is guaranteed.
The potential moisture does not affect the safety of the substations, the technicians working on them, or the homes and businesses connected to them. However, it may affect the lifespan of the components in the substations. Installed substations can remain safely in operation while Alfen and Liander work together to implement the right solution.
Alfen has temporarily stopped supplying new Pacto substations to Liander, which means that connecting or expanding electricity connections to some homes and businesses may be delayed. Alfen is doing everything it can to resume delivering Pacto substations to Liander as soon as possible. At this time, the impact on customers who are waiting for a connection or extension is not clear, however we expect to know exact impact for Liander’s customers by the end of April.
A team of experts from Alfen and Liander are working hard to resolve the issue quickly and safely. Based on an initial investigation, Alfen identified some possible causes and defined a solution that has been thoroughly and carefully tested. Liander is now in the process of verifying the first substations with this solution before shipment. After Liander’s approval, Alfen will resume production and delivery of the Pacto substations immediately. Alfen and Liander expect this to happen in the coming days, however it will take time to make up for the production delay.
As a precautionary measure, Alfen will inspect the reliability of the installed Pacto medium voltage substations and if necessary, takes proactive measures to ensure proper long-term operations.
Alfen and Liander value their collaboration and are confident that together they will meet the high-quality standards needed to expand and strengthen the Dutch electricity grid to continue to connect homes and businesses.
About Alfen
Alfen is at the heart of Europe's energy transition from fossil fuel to zero carbon to mitigate climate change by 2050 and specialises in energy solutions for the future. The integrated solutions help customers across Europe to address their electricity challenges and achieve climate neutrality. Alfen is continuously building on more than 85 years of innovation with its smart grid solutions, energy storage systems and EV charging stations installed in 30+ countries across Europe.
About Liander
Liander is the grid operator in North Holland, Flevoland, Gelderland, Friesland, and part of South Holland. They ensure that 3.2 million households and businesses can use electricity and gas. It is their job to keep the energy supply reliable, affordable, and accessible. That is why they maintain and renew the existing energy grid, and they are ready day and night to solve malfunctions. In addition, they are strengthening the electricity grid in places where more capacity is needed with new cables, distribution stations, and transformer houses. So that their customers can always use energy. Now and in the future.