Eneco to supply 100% green electricity to NS train stations and ProRail

Railway companies NS and ProRail have chosen Eneco to be the new supplier of electricity for all the train stations, rail traffic control centres, offices, maintenance workshops, and other buildings. The contract has a term of five years and ensures that the 225 gigawatt hours of electricity supplied per year is green electricity. The quantity to be supplied corresponds to the electricity consumption of 65,000 to 70,000 households. The start date of the contract is 1 January 2022.

Anneke de Vries, member of the board of NS: "NS has taken a reasoned decision to procure wind and solar power-based green energy for its stations and other buildings. This step is in line with NS’s sustainable operations strategy. The aim of NS is to be fossil fuel free by 2040. This contract ensures that green energy will be used to power facilities such as lifts, escalators and lighting. NS's tenants at the stations can also make use of this green energy contract."

Ans Rietstra, COO of ProRail: “Our ambition for 2030 is to reach a balance between the amount of electricity that we generate and the amount that we consume. This is a step by step process that includes increasing the number of stations with rooftop solar panels and the installation of solar panels on noise barriers. A good example of this updated ambition is Delft Campus station that we will be opening on 20 December together with the municipality of Delft and NS.”

The contract also includes a pilot study at Eindhoven station on bringing the moments at which we use electricity in line with the moments at which solar or wind energy is generated. This matching on an hourly basis is an important method to improve sustainability even further. In consultation with Eneco, NS and ProRail are going to investigate how to further reduce their electricity demand by using the green electricity that they produce as efficiently as possible, for example by making use of a battery. Another way in which the railway companies are going to match the consumption and generation of green electricity on an hour by hour basis is by redirecting their electricity demand to moments at which sustainable production capacity is high. The agreement with Eneco offers sufficient room for saving energy and developing sustainable initiatives, considering that we are in the middle of the energy transition and the amount of sustainably generated electricity is increasing.

As Tempelman, CEO of Eneco: “We are delighted that we have been selected to also supply green electricity for NS's train stations and ProRail. NS and ProRail are now assuming even more responsibility in the energy transition. We are pleased to support their sustainability improvements because a carbon-free future only comes within reach if we work together.”