Emma van der Veen & Dennis Bakhuis - TenneT

Emma van der Veen

I have enjoyed working for almost 10 years at TenneT, the operator of the Dutch (and part of the German) high-voltage grid. After studying Applied Mathematics (master track Applied Analysis and Mathematical Physics) (2013) and studying Climate Studies (at Wageningen University) (2013), I wanted to do technical and applied work that contributes to a ‘green’ future. I succeeded!

TenneT is responsible for balancing electricity supply and demand, transmitting electricity across the high-voltage grid and connecting and facilitating customers. In my current role as head of the ‘Balancing Ancillary Services’ Department, I am responsible for the team that admits market parties to the electricity market(s) and procures the services needed to operate the electricity grid safely. Think of balancing imbalance when a power plant or wind farm suddenly fails. Or when solar generation across Europe suddenly declines or increases during a solar eclipse! Mitigating grid congestion - the ‘traffic jam’ on the electricity grid that currently prevents all customers from getting a connection - is a subject that we (me and my colleagues) face every day.

Working out formulas, building models and programming is not part of my current job. In many other places at TenneT, however, this is a daily practice, such as designing the future electricity grid, the daily processes to ‘keep the lights on in the Netherlands’ or, for example, jobs in Dennis' domain. Studying applied mathematics has given me a fantastic foundation for tackling complex problems in different domains. I see understanding and developing processes and systems in the electricity market as a challenging puzzle, with which I - and many colleagues with me - am far from finished.😊

Dennis Bakhuis

The energy transition is one of the biggest challenges of our time. Since 2022, I have been working at TenneT as a lead NLP data scientist within the Advanced Analytics team, where I use machine learning and AI to develop innovative solutions to contribute to this process.

At first glance, my background in applied physics (2015) and my PhD in turbulence (2019) may seem far removed from my current work as a data scientist. Yet problem-solving thinking and an analytical approach are essential in the complex projects at TenneT.

One project I am closely involved in is the Intelligent Document Controller (IDC), an automated document validation solution. Developed entirely in-house, this solution validates thousands of documents per month. I am also working on the centralisation of generative AI within TenneT.

TenneT

TenneT is a leading European grid operator. We are committed to providing a secure and reliable supply of electricity 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, while helping to drive the energy transition in our pursuit of a brighter energy future – more sustainable, reliable and affordable than ever before. In our role as the first cross-border Transmission System Operator (TSO) we design, build, maintain and operate over 25,000 kilometres of high-voltage electricity grid in the Netherlands and large parts of Germany, and facilitate the European energy market through our 17 interconnectors to neighbouring countries. We are one of the largest investors in national and international onshore and offshore electricity grids, with a turnover of EUR 9.2 billion and a total asset value of EUR 45 billion. Every day our 8,300 employees take ownership, show courage and make and maintain connections to ensure that the supply and demand of electricity is balanced for over 43 million people.

Lighting the way ahead together.

We're proud to announce that TenneT is sponsoring the Career Day! You can find more about them here.