Mel Kroon to step down as CEO of TenneT after 16 years

In 2002, Mel Kroon was appointed as CEO and Chairman of the Executive Board of TenneT, which was founded in 1998 as a legal successor to the SEP (Samenwerkende Elektriciteits-Productiebedrijven). Under his leadership, Mel Kroon developed TenneT into a leading European high voltage grid operator, with an unparalleled security of supply performance for its 41 million end users. During the last two decades, TenneT saw its asset value increase from 500 million Euros to over 20 billion Euros.

Key events in TenneT's history were the acquisition of the 110kV and 150kV grids from the Dutch regional grid operators in 2007 and the takeover of the German grid operator Transpower in 2010. Since then, TenneT has obtained a position as key facilitator of the German Energiewende, by enabling the integration of dramatically increasing volumes of green electricity into the grid, onshore and offshore.  In 2008, TenneT's first subsea interconnector (NorNed) became operational, connecting the Dutch grid with that of Norway. Now, more than ten cross border connections on land and at sea are in operation, all adding to the integration of the North West European market. In 2016, TenneT was officially appointed as the Dutch offshore grid operator, developing a high voltage grid along the North Sea coast amounting to a 3.5 GW capacity in 2023.  

"TenneT is much indebted to Mel Kroon, who has always strongly advocated an integrated North West European Market and has steered the company towards a position of a leading European Transmission System Operator with many interconnections with neighbouring countries.  It was Mel who initiated a highly successful strategy based on three pillars: strengthening the high-voltage grid, building new interconnection capacity and integrating the Northwest European electricity market. Recently he unfolded a vison for the North Sea Wind Power Hub, a long term solution for the large scale exploitation of wind power in the North Sea, which is needed to achieve the 2050 CO2 emission targets in Europe. Mel has become one of the most influential and visionary leaders in the European energy sector", said Aad Veenman, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of TenneT Holding BV. 

Mel Kroon commented: "It has been, and it still is, a privilege and pleasure to work for TenneT. In the 20th anniversary year of TenneT, it seems a good moment to pass on the helm to a new leader. TenneT has a great future ahead, facing challenges in the further integration of the European electricity markets, the ongoing digitization of the electricity system and the expansion of the infrastructure needed to cope with the vast amounts of sustainable electricity. I am happy that the Supervisory Board is taking sufficient time to find my successor and secure a smooth transition."