The Netherlands wants 50 times more batteries by 2040: a 110 GWh target and 25 measures to reach it

The government in The Hague sent the lower house of parliament its first Energy Storage Policy Agenda (Beleidsagenda Energieopslag) on Monday, 9 November. According to the document, as quoted by Solar & Storage Magazine, the Netherlands should have 110 GWh and 28 GW of batteries in 2040, an average of four hours of storage. At the end of 2025, 2.1 GWh was installed, more than 50 times less.

What was decided. The agenda was drawn up by the Ministry of Climate and Green Growth together with Netbeheer Nederland, the association of grid operators, the industry body Energy Storage NL, the regulator ACM and regional authorities, which agreed on 25 actions. Grid operators will now connect large batteries by default with a flexibility contract, so that their operation can be curtailed at busy times. The ministry is preparing guidance for faster permits and will designate suitable sites, with 2028 as a benchmark.

The money. ACM is examining whether grid tariff discounts for storage are justified, an exemption Germany and Belgium already have. The ministry is exploring support through the SDE++ scheme for batteries next to solar parks, and €35 million has been reserved for the Flex-e scheme in 2027. According to the agenda, storage placed according to grid needs could cut investment in the electricity grid by up to €4 billion.

Reactions. "The government no longer says storage is useful, but explicitly calls it an indispensable part of the energy system," said Arendo Schreurs, director of Energy Storage NL. Hans-Peter Oskam, managing director of Netbeheer Nederland, said that "under the right conditions, storage makes a powerful contribution to solving grid congestion".

What comes next. Since 1 November, some suppliers in Gelderland, Utrecht, Flevoland and North Brabant have been paying households whose batteries, heat pumps or chargers help absorb grid peaks; the rest of the country follows next year. Long-duration storage in hydrogen or heat is not yet developed enough, the agenda notes. A study of the Delta21 project, a possible hydropower battery, is expected in the second quarter of 2027.

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