What is grid congestion?
Grid congestion is the situation in which the electricity grid, at a given location and time, lacks the transport capacity to carry all the requested offtake or feed-in of power, so the grid operator cannot immediately grant new or larger connections. It is not a shortage of electricity but a shortage of room in cables and transformers. Grid congestion affects both offtake (companies that want to draw more power) and feed-in (solar parks and wind turbines that want to export power). It should not be confused with network congestion in data networks, where too many packets clog a link.
🧠 What causes grid congestion?
A grid is designed for an expected peak load. When demand grows faster than grid operators can build new cables and substations, the grid fills up at peak moments. The main causes:
- Electrification — industry, heat pumps and electric transport are replacing gas and diesel with electricity; see also EV charging infrastructure
- Solar power — solar parks all export at the same time on sunny afternoons, while the grid was historically designed for offtake
- Data centres and large consumers — a handful of requests for tens of megawatts can fill an entire regional grid
- Slow grid expansion — permits, spatial planning and a shortage of technicians mean a new high-voltage substation takes many years
- Reserved but unused capacity — contracted capacity that companies rarely use in full blocks room for others
In the Netherlands, the national transmission system operator TenneT runs the high-voltage grid, while regional distribution system operators such as Liander, Stedin and Enexis run the medium- and low-voltage grids. Congestion can arise at any of these levels.
🗺️ How severe is grid congestion in the Netherlands?
The first bottlenecks appeared in 2019, when Groningen, Drenthe and Overijssel ran out of room for feed-in from new solar parks. In June 2022 the grid also filled up for offtake across large parts of Limburg and North Brabant, and more and more regions have followed since. Grid operators publish the current situation on a national capacity map.
| As at 30 June 2026 | Number | Capacity |
|---|---|---|
| Offtake: requests on the waiting list | 15,498 | approx. 10.0 GW |
| Feed-in: requests on the waiting list | 8,558 | approx. 5.7 GW |
| Active flexible contracts | approx. 770 | approx. 4.4 GW of flexible capacity |
Since 1 July 2026, small consumers (up to 3x80 amperes) requesting a new or upgraded connection can also end up on the waiting list, and a large part of the province of Utrecht has had a connection stop since that date, including for households and small businesses. TenneT has reported that major expansion projects in Flevoland, Gelderland and Utrecht face delays of four to six years.
🔧 What instruments exist to tackle grid congestion?
Alongside grid expansion, grid operators and the Dutch regulator ACM have developed a set of instruments to use the existing grid more efficiently. They are laid down in the grid codes, which since the Energy Act (Energiewet) took effect on 1 January 2026 have been brought together in new codes such as the electricity system code.
| Instrument | How it works | Intended for |
|---|---|---|
| Capacity limitation contract (CBC) | The grid operator calls a capacity reduction day-ahead, against compensation | Large consumers and producers |
| Redispatch via GOPACS | The grid operator buys same-day bids to adjust consumption or generation locally | Parties with flexible capacity |
| Non-firm connection agreement (non-firm ATO) | Connection without guaranteed transport capacity, at a lower tariff | Mainly battery storage and flexible users |
| Time-duration-based transport right | Transport guaranteed for at least 85% of the hours in a year | Connections to the TenneT grid |
| Time-block-based transport right | Transport only within agreed time blocks | Connections to regional grids |
| Group transport agreement (GTO) | Several companies in an energy hub share one transport capacity | Business parks and energy hubs |
| Societal prioritisation | Priority on the waiting list for projects of significant public interest | Congestion relievers, safety, healthcare and education |
GOPACS is the joint platform of TenneT and the regional grid operators and has been in use since 2019. Since August 2024, companies with a contracted capacity of 1 MW or more can be obliged to offer flexibility; anyone who ignores a call under a capacity limitation contract pays 120 euros per MW per day.
🗓️ How has the approach to grid congestion evolved?
| Year | Milestone |
|---|---|
| 2019 | First feed-in congestion in the northern Netherlands; GOPACS launched |
| 2022 | ACM broadens congestion management (May); National Grid Congestion Action Programme starts (20 December) |
| 2024 | Non-firm ATO (January), prioritisation framework (April), alternative transport rights (July), mandatory congestion management from 1 MW (August) |
| 2025 | Time-bound transport rights take effect (April); final code decision on the group transport agreement (December) |
| 2026 | Energy Act takes effect (January); small consumers join the waiting list and Utrecht connection stop (July) |
Since December 2022, the National Grid Congestion Action Programme (Landelijk Actieprogramma Netcongestie, LAN) has brought together the actions of grid operators, central government, the ACM, regional authorities and market parties around three themes: building faster, using the grid better and connecting smarter.
🏭 What can your company do about grid congestion?
- Map your load profile — analyse quarter-hourly consumption and generation data over at least a year; the contracted capacity often turns out to be needed for only a few hours a year
- Shave your peaks — smart control prevents motors, furnaces or chargers from starting at the same moment
- Shift load — schedule energy-intensive processes, cooling or charging in off-peak hours or at times of abundant solar power
- Install storage — a behind-the-meter battery absorbs peaks and stores your own solar output
- Choose a suitable contract — ask your grid operator about a flexible or time-block-based transport right, or join an energy hub with a group transport agreement
- Offer flexibility — earn compensation through a capacity limitation contract or redispatch bids on GOPACS
- Automate with an EMS — an energy management system carries all of this out in real time; ISO 50001 provides the management framework
🔐 What role do OT and cybersecurity play in grid congestion?
Flexibility only works when installations respond automatically to signals from the grid operator. That turns grid congestion into an OT issue: an EMS controls PLCs, inverters, batteries and chargers on the basis of external messages.
| Interface | Protocol or standard | Function |
|---|---|---|
| Grid operator ↔ aggregator | Shapeshifter (UFTP) | Calling up flexibility for capacity limitation contracts via GOPACS |
| Grid operator ↔ charge point operator | OpenADR 3 (Grid-Aware Charging) | Day-ahead power limits for clusters of charge points |
| EMS ↔ devices | S2 (EN 50491-12-2) | Controlling the flexibility of batteries, heat pumps and solar installations |
| Substation | IEC 61850 | Automation and protection in substations |
| EMS ↔ installation | Modbus TCP and vendor APIs | Reading and controlling meters, inverters and batteries |
Every control interface is also an attack surface. Anyone who can forge a power limit or take over an EMS can halt production or switch large amounts of load simultaneously. The risk is real: solar inverter security is already under scrutiny, and the cyberattack on the Polish energy system showed that distributed generation is a target. Baseline measures:
- Segment — place the EMS in its own zone using network segmentation, separate from office IT
- Authenticate messages — Shapeshifter signs its XML messages and OpenADR 3 uses OAuth 2.0; manage the related keys with certificate management
- Limit locally — let the local controller reject implausible setpoints and fall back to a safe state when the connection is lost
- Control remote access — battery and charger suppliers often ask for remote access; register and monitor that access
- Know your obligations — energy companies fall under NIS2 and the Dutch Cybersecurity Act, in force since 15 August 2026
The electricity grid itself is critical infrastructure; the more flexibility is controlled remotely, the more a secure chain matters, from the grid operator’s SCADA down to the installation behind the meter.
❓ Frequently asked questions
What does grid congestion mean for my business?
Grid congestion means your grid operator cannot immediately deliver a new or upgraded connection because the electricity grid in your region is full. You are then placed on a waiting list that can last for years. With flexible contracts, storage and smart control you can often still grow within your existing capacity.
How long will grid congestion last in the Netherlands?
Grid congestion is expected to persist in large parts of the Netherlands well into the 2030s. Grid operators are investing heavily, but major high-voltage expansions are running years late. In Utrecht, the necessary grid reinforcement is not expected until around 2033 to 2035.
What is GOPACS?
GOPACS is the joint platform of TenneT and the Dutch regional grid operators for resolving grid congestion with flexibility from the market. Parties offer on GOPACS to consume or generate more or less power locally, and the grid operator buys the bids that relieve the congestion. GOPACS has been in use since 2019.
What is the difference between a capacity limitation contract and redispatch?
Under a capacity limitation contract, the grid operator calls a reduction of your capacity one day ahead in return for a fixed fee. With redispatch, you submit same-day bids via GOPACS and the grid operator selects the bids that resolve the grid congestion. Since August 2024, both instruments can be made mandatory for parties with 1 MW or more of contracted capacity.
Does a battery help against grid congestion?
A battery helps against grid congestion when it charges outside peak hours and discharges during peaks, keeping your connection within the available capacity. A large battery that trades purely on energy prices can actually add stress to the grid. That is why batteries are often given a non-firm or time-bound transport right.
Is grid congestion the same as network congestion?
No, grid congestion refers to a shortage of transport capacity in the electricity grid. Network congestion in IT and OT means that a data network has to handle more packets than it can cope with, causing delay and packet loss. The two terms only share the idea of a full transport medium.
📌 In summary
Grid congestion is a shortage of transport capacity in the electricity grid that keeps more than 24,000 requests on Dutch waiting lists in 2026; flexible contracts, GOPACS and energy management make better use of the existing grid. For companies, energy control becomes an OT function, with the same requirements for segmentation, authentication and access control as any other process control system.