How a Dutch starch manufacturer is electrifying without a grid upgrade

Energy tech major Schneider Electric has partnered with Royal Avebe, a farmer‑owned starch and plant protein cooperative, to electrify a production facility in the Netherlands, without requiring reinforcement of the electricity grid beyond the site’s existing maximum connection.

Working together at Avebe's Foxhol production plant in Groningen, Netherlands - a starch derivatives area - the two companies say they have demonstrated a milestone in electrification.

Specifically, they say the site shows that it is possible to add a new industrial electric boiler, eliminate fossil-fuel heating, and become an active energy prosumer, all within the limits of the site’s existing grid connection. This negates the need for reinforcing the public electricity grid or joining a capacity waiting queue. 

Critically, says Schneider Electric, the project actively supports grid balancing, creating headroom for more businesses and renewable generators to connect.

An electrification and digital energy strategy 

Avebe engaged Schneider Electric's Advisory Services team to rethink how the Foxhol site uses, manages, and exchanges energy. 

The result, says Schneider Electric, is an integrated electrification strategy and platform.

The platform consolidates data from over 1,000 points across the site, including 542 smart medium-voltage relays, into a single operational view. 

When grid demand rises, the system automatically shifts electrical loads to operate within the site’s contracted grid limits and technical constraints. 

When renewable energy is abundant and local grid demand is low, the plant absorbs the surplus and actively supports grid stability.

Commenting in a release was Joyce de Vries-Pieterman, Director Communication & Public Affairs, Avebe: "Further electrifying our production processes is an important step in making our operations more sustainable. 

“Together with Schneider Electric, we are demonstrating that it is possible to make concrete progress toward future-proof and more energy-efficient production within the limits of what our existing grid connection allows.” 

Said Neil Smith, President, Consumer-Packaged Goods, Schneider Electric."What Avebe has achieved at Foxhol is a proof of concept for industrial Europe. Grid constraints need not mean decarbonisation delays. With the right combination of electrification, open automation, and digital intelligence, manufacturers can act now.”

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Schneider Electric’s solution for Avebe includes:

• EcoStruxure Foxboro DCS for unified process control;
• EcoStruxure Electrodynamic Controller for real-time load orchestration;
• EcoStruxure Control HMI for operator visibility and intervention;
• EcoStruxure EPAS for engineering environment and configuration;
• AVEVA PI system integration, which consolidates over 1,000 data points from 542 smart MV relays and legacy devices into a single operational view.

A replicable model 

According to Schneider Electric, Avebe's approach is designed to scale. 

The same combination of dynamic load management, real-time energy intelligence, and prosumer capability can be applied at any energy-intensive industrial site across Europe facing similar grid constraints. 

For manufacturers in food and beverage, chemicals, paper, and other sectors — industries that collectively represent a significant share of Europe's remaining industrial emissions — it offers a way to move forward on decarbonisation without waiting for large-scale grid infrastructure expansion that may be a decade away.

Additionally, says the company, the Foxhol plant is now positioned to integrate onsite renewable generation and advanced IIoT asset monitoring as the next step, building on the digital foundation in place.

Dutch grid congestion

Europe's electricity grid congestion has become one of the biggest obstacles to industrial decarbonisation. 

Across the continent, more than 1,700GW of clean energy and electrification projects are stuck in grid connection queues, with more than 450,000 renewable energy sources requesting connection, a 133% increase since 2021, according to Eurelectric’s Power Barometer.

In the Netherlands alone, says Schneider Electric, over 14,000 businesses  are waiting for the capacity they need to grow, electrify, or decarbonise. For many, the wait stretches to a decade. 

Indeed, according to reporting by NL Times, as of July 1, there will be no new connections to the power grid in the region around the city of Utrecht. 

New high-voltage infrastructure in the Netherlands takes eight to twelve years to deliver. Additionally, according to Strategic Energy, 90% of Dutch businesses now report feeling the direct or indirect effects of grid congestion.