The control rooms of the national high-voltage grid and of Liander's regional grid run on software from Open Systems International, owned by Emerson of St. Louis since 2020. TenneT's contract runs 15 years and can be extended to 30.1,2 Lindstead traced the winners of all award notices that Dutch grid and water operators published on the EU tender database since 2016, and checked the public DNS records of 129 organisations on 4 October 2026.
Summary
- TenneT and Liander run their control rooms on software from a US-owned supplier. Both awarded their grid control systems to Open Systems International, part of Emerson. Of nine control-system awards with a named winner, three went to US-controlled companies.
- Kaifa won every electricity meter award since 2016. The maker, controlled by state-owned China Electronics Corporation, is a named winner in all four. For the new DSMR6 meter, a second Chinese maker holds a reserve agreement.
- All 40 grid and water operators run their mail through Microsoft. Grid operators, drinking water companies and water boards all show Microsoft 365 signals. Among other EU transmission operators it is 36 of 63.
Who supplies the software that runs the grid?
An energy management system and SCADA software let a control room see and steer the grid: load, switching and faults. TenneT's NextGen EMS-SCADA contract was concluded on 7 December 2020 with Open Systems International of Medina, Minnesota, and its Spanish subsidiary, after three tenders. The initial term is 15 years, extendable to 30.1 Alliander awarded its Grid Control Platform for Liander to the same OSI consortium in April 2021.2
Emerson completed its purchase of OSI on 1 October 2020.3 OSI has sat inside Emerson's AspenTech unit since 2022, and Emerson took full control of AspenTech in 2025. In October 2025 TenneT added a Wide Area Monitoring System from Electric Power Group of Pasadena, for 10.9 million euro.4
Award notices for grid and process control systems by Dutch grid and water operators, 2016 to 2026
| Year | Buyer | System | Supplier | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | TenneT | NextGen EMS-SCADA | Open Systems International | |
| 2021 | Alliander | Grid Control Platform (SCADA) | Open Systems International | |
| 2025 | TenneT | Wide Area Monitoring System | Electric Power Group | |
| 2022 | Brabant Water | SCADA licences and maintenance | Schneider Electric | |
| 2025 | Gasunie | Process control systems (2 awards) | ABB | |
| 2025 | Enexis | CAD, GIS and SCADA viewer (2 awards) | ITS Digital Solutions | |
| 2026 | Gasunie | PLC, local control systems | Phoenix Contact |
US-controlledEU-controlledSwitzerland
Source: TED award notices with a named winner, titles with SCADA, EMS, grid control, WAMS, process control or PLC, October 2016 to October 2026; owners as of October 2026. Nine notices; Gasunie and Enexis each have two. TED covers tenders above EU thresholds only.
The control systems most likely run in the operators' own control centres, and nothing in the notices shows foreign access to the grid. The dependency lies elsewhere: one US-owned supplier delivers the updates, support and know-how for the core of the national grid for up to 30 years.
Who makes the smart meters?
Kaifa Technology, controlled by state-owned China Electronics Corporation, is a named winner in all four electricity meter award notices that Dutch grid operators published on TED since 2016. In December 2025 Stedin, Enexis, Alliander and Juva awarded the DSMR6 electricity meter, with an estimated value of 396.7 million euro, to Kaifa and Sagemcom. Hexing Electrical of Hangzhou and Iskraemeco hold reserve agreements.5
Electricity meter award notices by Dutch grid operators, 2016 to 2026
| Year | Grid operators | Tender | Winners |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Stedin | SSMR5 E-meter | Kaifa |
| 2021 | Enexis, Stedin, Alliander, Enduris | Traditional kWh meters | Kaifa |
| 2022 | Alliander | SMR5next | Kaifa, Sagemcom, Elster, FlonIskra |
| 2025 | Stedin, Enexis, Alliander, Juva | DSMR6 E-meter | Kaifa, Sagemcom; reserve: Hexing, Iskraemeco |
Source: TED award notices 5797-2018, 234216-2021, 107544-2022 and 823531-2025. Kaifa and Hexing: China. Sagemcom: majority owned by Charterhouse (UK). Elster: Honeywell (US) at the time of award. FlonIskra and Iskraemeco: Elsewedy Electric (Egypt).
Kaifa supplies the metering module. According to the minister, that module does not communicate and has no kill switch, and the grid operators consulted the AIVD.6 The reserve agreement for Hexing is a waiting position, not an order. The DSMR6 gas meter, estimated at 475 million euro, went to the European makers Flonidan and MeteRSit.7
Where do grid and water operators run their mail?
All 40 critical operators in the study (3 transmission operators, 6 regional grid operators, 10 drinking water companies and 21 water boards) show Microsoft 365 signals in public DNS: 39 strongly, through mail delivered to Microsoft or signed in a Microsoft tenant, and one through weaker signals. 24 also publish records for Microsoft's device management.
Dutch operators lean on Microsoft more than EU peers
Every Dutch grid operator runs its mail on Microsoft 365, against 57 percent of EU transmission operators.
All nine Dutch grid operators run their mail on Microsoft 365, against 57 percent of other EU gas and power transmission operators.
Organisations with strong evidence of Microsoft 365 mail (number with mail), %
¹ EU-27 members of ENTSO-E and ENTSOG outside the Netherlands, website domains; indicative. Strong evidence: mail delivered to Microsoft, or DKIM signed in a Microsoft 365 tenant.
Source: ACM, Vewin and overheid.nl registers, ENTSO-E and ENTSOG member pages and public DNS, 4 October 2026; Lindstead analysis
View data table
| Category | Value | Group |
|---|---|---|
| Dutch grid operators (9) | 100.0% | 1 |
| Drinking water companies (10) | 100.0% | 1 |
| Water boards (21) | 95.2% | 1 |
| Heat suppliers (37) | 91.9% | 1 |
| Energy suppliers (50) | 86.0% | 1 |
| EU gas and power TSOs (63)¹ | 57.1% | 2 |
| EU power TSOs (28)¹ | 28.6% | 2 |
Group 1: Dutch organisations. Group 2: Other EU transmission operators. Unit: %.
RTE in France, Amprion and TransnetBW in Germany, Fingrid, Svenska kraftnät and EirGrid run their own mail servers. The NOS reported in March 2024 that all Dutch grid operators had chosen Microsoft.8 These figures confirm that for the full population, including all water boards. Several share an environment: Gasunie Transport Services and BBL Company, and the water boards of Rijnland and Schieland en de Krimpenerwaard.
Which energy firms verified AI accounts?
15 of 48 energy supplier organisations carry a domain verification record for an AI vendor, all of them Anthropic and two also OpenAI. Among the 40 grid and water operators it is three. No organisation in the study has a record for Mistral. A record shows that someone proved control of the domain to the vendor, not how much the service is used.
What do these records show, and what not?
Tender notices show who won a contract, not where software runs or what was ordered under a framework. DNS shows where mail and accounts run, not the grid itself. The US CLOUD Act lets US authorities order a provider under US jurisdiction to hand over data in its possession, custody or control.9 Mail and accounts on Microsoft fall under that law; control software installed on premises is a different kind of dependency, on a supplier rather than on a hosting provider.
Grid operators and water companies fall under the Cyberbeveiligingswet since 15 August 2026, which requires them to manage supply-chain risk.10 Water boards have named digital sovereignty a priority.11 Protection against spoofed mail is good among operators: all 40 enforce a DMARC policy. Among suppliers 21 of 50 do not; Lindstead does not name them.
How was this measured, and what are the limits?
Population. 129 organisations from public registers saved on 4 October 2026: transmission and regional grid operators from ACM decisions, drinking water companies from Vewin, water boards from overheid.nl, and holders of an active ACM supply or heat licence.
Tenders. All 4,452 TED notices of these buyers from 5 October 2016 to 2 October 2026. The full text of 267 award notices for meters, IT, OT and telecom was read, and each winner traced to its ultimate owner.
DNS. 219 domains queried through a public resolver: MX, SPF, DKIM, autodiscover, device-management and TXT records. No organisation's systems were contacted.
Limitations
- TED covers tenders above EU thresholds only. Winners can be withheld (13 of 236 awarded notices), and software bought through resellers hides the maker.
- Framework awards say nothing about volumes ordered.
- Owners of tender winners are a desk exercise; the key rows (Emerson and OSI, Kaifa, Hexing, Iskraemeco, Sagemcom, Elster) are sourced.
- Across all IT, OT and telecom awards, US-controlled winners are a minority: 28 of 197 notices with a named winner.
- The EU comparison uses website domains and is indicative.
Download the data
Organisations (CSV): 129 rows with sector, domains, first mail server, Microsoft 365 and Google signals, Microsoft tenant, AI records, website network and sources. DMARC results are left out on purpose. Tender awards (CSV): 387 rows, one per notice and winner, with buyer, title, estimated value, winner, owner and a link to TED.
Cite: Lindstead (2026), Dutch grid control rooms run on US software, registers, TED and public DNS of 4 October 2026. CC BY 4.0 applies to Lindstead's analysis. Research questions and corrections.
What should grid and water operators do with these findings?
Lindstead recommends four checks under the Cyberbeveiligingswet:
- List every supplier of control, metering and office systems with its ultimate owner, and review it each year.
- For control software, agree source-code escrow, local support and a tested exit path before the next extension.
- Separate mail and accounts from operational systems, so a disruption in one does not reach the other.
- Check which AI vendors staff have verified the domain with, and whether that matches policy.
How can an operator reduce the dependency?
Lindstead is an independent advisory firm as well as a research firm, and takes no fees or commissions from cloud or software vendors. It helps operators decide which systems to move to European providers and guides the move: first an assessment of each system's supplier, owner and criticality, then a choice of European options, then a staged migration with documentation for the board and the supervisor. Mail, accounts and AI can usually move first. Control software cannot switch quickly, so the advice there focuses on contract terms, escrow and the next tender.
Organisations that want a first answer can start with the AI Sovereignty Scan: readiness, regulation and hosting in 10 working days, at a fixed price of €6,500 excluding VAT. The energy and critical infrastructure page covers the rules that apply.
Frequently asked questions
-
TenneT awarded its NextGen EMS-SCADA, the energy management system for the national high-voltage grid, to Open Systems International and its Spanish subsidiary. OSI has been owned by Emerson of St. Louis since 1 October 2020. The contract runs 15 years and can be extended to 30. Alliander awarded its grid control platform for Liander to the same supplier in 2021.
-
Nothing in the tender data shows that. The contracts cover software, licences, support and development, and the control systems most likely run in the operators' own control centres. The dependency is on a US-owned supplier for updates, support and know-how over 15 to 30 years.
-
Kaifa, controlled by state-owned China Electronics Corporation, is a named winner in all four electricity meter award notices that Dutch grid operators published on TED since 2016. For the new DSMR6 meter, Kaifa and Sagemcom hold framework agreements, and Hexing Electrical and Iskraemeco hold reserve agreements. The minister said on 4 February 2026 that the Kaifa metering module has no kill switch.
-
Yes. All nine Dutch grid operators show strong evidence of Microsoft 365 mail in public DNS on 4 October 2026, as do all ten drinking water companies and 20 of 21 water boards. Among other EU gas and power transmission operators it is 36 of 63.
-
Yes. The two CSV files on this page list the organisations with their DNS classification, and the tender awards with winners and owners. Lindstead's analysis is published under CC BY 4.0. TED data is published by the EU Publications Office.
Sources
- TED, contract award notice 283141-2021, TenneT TSO B.V., NextGen EMS-SCADA. ted.europa.eu/en/notice/-/detail/283141-2021
- TED, contract award notice 209792-2021, Alliander N.V., Grid Control Platform. ted.europa.eu/en/notice/-/detail/209792-2021
- Emerson, Emerson completes acquisition of OSI Inc., 1 October 2020. www.emerson.com/en-us/news/corporate/osiinc-close
- TED, contract award notice 679629-2025, TenneT TSO B.V., Wide Area Monitoring System. ted.europa.eu/en/notice/-/detail/679629-2025
- TED, contract award notice 823531-2025, DSMR6 E-meter. ted.europa.eu/en/notice/-/detail/823531-2025
- Security.NL, Minister: Chinese meetsensor in slimme meters bevat geen killswitch, 4 February 2026. www.security.nl/posting/923164/Minister:+Chinese+meetsensor+in+slimme+meters+bevat+geen+killswitch
- TED, contract award notice 605852-2025, DSMR6 G-meter. ted.europa.eu/en/notice/-/detail/605852-2025
- NOS, Amerikaanse overheid kan bij e-mail van Nederlandse overheden en kritieke bedrijven, 1 March 2024. nos.nl/artikel/2510923-amerikaanse-overheid-kan-bij-e-mail-van-nederlandse-overheden-en-kritieke-bedrijven
- 18 U.S.C. 2713, Required preservation and disclosure of communications and records (CLOUD Act). www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/2713
- NCSC, Cyberbeveiligingswet (NIS2), in force 15 August 2026. www.ncsc.nl/cyberbeveiligingswet-nis2
- iBestuur, Dit is meer dan een storm in een glas water, 1 April 2026. ibestuur.nl/markt-en-overheid/inkoop-en-aanbesteding/dit-is-meer-dan-een-storm-in-een-glas-water
Method: all figures from Lindstead's analysis of registers, TED notices and public DNS records of 4 October 2026; context sources opened on the same date. This page is general information, not legal advice. Corrections: contact@lindstead.com. Research policy.