The delegation from Kazakhstan has toured the Digital Energy Platform in the Netherlands
The Embassy of Kazakhstan in the Netherlands, in cooperation with UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, has organized a study tour on the topic of digitalization of the heat and power sector for the Kazakhstani civil servants and representatives of national companies. The delegation has included the emissaries of the Ministry of Energy of the Republic Kazakhstan and the chief experts of JSC “Kazakhstan Operator of the Electricity and Capacity Market”.
On the first day, the delegation has met with experts and staff from the Delft University of Technology, one of the world’s top 10 leading universities in engineering and technology. The representatives of both sides had attended several seminars, where they discussed issues pertaining to “Digitalization of Grid Operations”, “Planning for Energy Transition”. Additionally, the directors and leaders of the top Dutch firms in Energy Innovation have presented their projects and their latest developments. Moreover, the Kazakhstani representatives had the opportunity to view Delft’s energy infrastructure laboratories, including High Voltage lab and Grid Simulation Lab.
On the next day the visitors have arrived to Rotterdam to meet with the directors of Stedin, a Dutch utility network operator. It is one of the largest firms in this sector, delivering gas and electricity to 2 million households in the center of the Netherlands, including the famous Port of Rotterdam. The Chief Financial Officer of Stedin, David Peters, has welcomed the guests and introduced them to the company’s latest grid digitalization projects.
Furthermore, the representatives later traveled to the city of Arnhem, where they had seen the KEMA laboratory. Under the company of the same name, it is the world leader in independent testing, inspection and certification activities in the energy sector. The experts of the Ministries of Energy and Digital Development had participated in discussions related to smart metering, utility communications and digital grid operations. On the third day, the delegation has met with the firm TenneT. TenneT is a Dutch national electricity transmissions system operator that is responsible for overseeing the operations of the high-voltage grid across the Netherlands and its interconnections with neighboring countries. The company provided a platform for both sides to converse about the challenges of TSO and DNO, data management and digital grid operations, which facilitated a productive dialogue.
On the last day of the official trip, the Kazakhstani representatives have arrived to the Hague, the political capital of the Netherlands, to meet with their colleagues the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy of the Kingdom of Netherlands. After the productive dialogues on technical expertise, both sides wanted to discuss how progress can be promoted by the state, namely how to improve the relevant legal and institutional framework. In the Hague, the civil servants had conferred on how the latest innovations in the field can be used for the betterment of the residents’ welfare.
The visit of the delegation to the Netherlands was a fruitful trip, which led to the transfer of experience on the digitalization of engineering energy networks. The participants agreed to further exchange experience and knowledge, especially in terms of state regulation and support. They also noted the high effectiveness of the program and the importance of the knowledge gained in the development of the industry in Kazakhstan.