NMa: Dutch regional grid operator Liander must improve the safety of its grids in Amsterdam

Following an enforcement request submitted by the municipality of Amsterdam, the Netherlands Competition Authority (NMa) has imposed a binding instruction on Dutch regional grid operator Liander. The request was made because of a safety issue regarding lampposts in the city, which were found to be insufficiently safe. On a number of locations in Amsterdam, the current is not, or not fast enough, interrupted when there is a short-circuit on the grid, potentially causing lampposts becoming charged. The NMa has ordered Liander to draw up an action plan within three months on how to ensure street-lighting safety, requiring Liander to deal with the locations with the highest safety risks within a year.

According to an NMa study, some parts of the street lighting network in Amsterdam are insufficiently safe. In case of short-circuits, safety fuses normally ensure that the current is quickly interrupted. In Amsterdam, however, there have been a number of occasions that the current was not interrupted within an acceptable amount of time. The NMa has ordered Liander to take measures at places where the current has reached dangerous levels and which cannot be interrupted within five seconds. Under the Dutch Electricity Act, Liander, as regional grid operator, is required to ensure the safety of its grids in the most efficient way.


In addition, Liander is required to actively inform its customers about their own responsibility for taking the necessary safety precautions, such as ensuring proper grounding, at locations on Liander's grid where this is not covered.