Bilfinger has been selected by ENGIE as the Owner’s Engineer for the realization of a new black start facility for TenneT in the Central Netherlands. With this project, Bilfinger contributes to the future resilience and robustness of the Dutch electricity grid.
Kevin Pieterse, Vice President Bilfinger Engineering & Consultancy: “We are proud of the trust ENGIE has placed in us and look forward to jointly realizing a safe, robust, and future-proof black start facility for Central Netherlands.”
Crucial facility for national energy security
As the operator of the national high‑voltage grid, TenneT is responsible for being prepared for large‑scale power outages. A black start facility enables a powerless electricity grid to be started up again. To secure this emergency function in Central Netherlands, TenneT launched a tender at the beginning of 2025 for the construction of a new black start installation.
ENGIE saw this as an opportunity to further strengthen its energy infrastructure in the Netherlands. The company approached Bilfinger at an early stage. The assignment was to develop a technically and economically feasible concept for the Maxima power plant in Central Netherlands. This concept must enable the plant to start up autonomously by means of a black start facility.
What ENGIE and Bilfinger will realize
After winning the tender with the concept jointly developed by ENGIE and Bilfinger, ENGIE awarded Bilfinger the contract for the Owner’s Engineering of the new black start facility. The design consists of six new Gas Engine Driven Generator Sets (GEGS), supported by a Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) to deliver peak power. Together, they generate the required starting power to start the gas turbines. This allows the Maxima power plant, in the event of a blackout, to gradually re-energize TenneT’s high‑voltage grid.
As Owner’s Engineer, Bilfinger is responsible for a major part of the detailed engineering, interface management, and project management. For this multidisciplinary project, we combine expertise from nearly all our disciplines, including civil and infrastructure engineering, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, and automation. In addition, safety specialists—such as HSE management, external safety, and fire safety—play an important role. Our experts in BIM, document control, and planning are also closely involved to ensure that project execution proceeds in a structured manner and according to the ambitious timeline.
