Grid congestion mid-2026: regional offtake waiting list nears 10 gigawatts
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If you need a new or heavier grid connection, you will have to wait in many places. On 5 October, Netbeheer Nederland, the association of Dutch grid operators, published its figures for the first half of 2026: the waiting list is growing more slowly, but demand for capacity keeps rising. The rules have changed too: since 1 July, large and small consumers in congestion areas have shared a single waiting list.
The list grows more slowly, the capacity requested keeps rising
The number of requests is rising less steeply, but together they ask for ever more capacity. On 30 June 2026 the regional grid operators had 15,498 offtake requests on their waiting lists, compared with 15,154 at the end of 2025. Over the same period the capacity requested rose from 9,305 to 9,986 megawatts, almost 10 gigawatts. At the end of 2024 the list held 11,922 requests for 6,739 megawatts.
In the first half of the year, 2,656 new offtake requests came in. Grid operators granted 1,699 and another 613 left the list for other reasons. For feed-in, mostly solar parks and rooftop solar, the number of requests fell slightly for the first time, to 8,558. The capacity requested still rose, to 5,693 megawatts.
Waiting list at the regional grid operators, 2022 to mid-2026
Show the figures
| Feed-in | Offtake | |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 1,991 | 668 |
| 2023 | 6,423 | 6,065 |
| 2024 | 8,440 | 11,922 |
| 2025 | 8,612 | 15,154 |
| mid-2026 | 8,558 | 15,498 |
These figures cover large consumers only. Small consumers have been on the waiting list since 1 July and are not yet included. Netbeheer Nederland therefore expects the number of offtake requests to rise sharply in the coming six months. At TenneT, which runs the national high-voltage grid, 205 offtake and 156 feed-in requests were waiting.
One waiting list, with priority for three groups
In congestion areas, large and small consumers have been on one waiting list since 1 July 2026. It works in order of application, but requests with a social priority go first. The Dutch regulator ACM set out in December 2025 who can get priority. Since 1 January 2026, grid operators must apply that framework in areas where the grid is full. Until 1 January 2027, capacity freed up from the former reservation for small consumers goes only to requests with priority.
Who goes first on the waiting list
| Order | Category | What it covers (ACM) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Congestion relievers | Parties that create more room on the grid, so that others can connect too |
| 2 | Safety | For example acute healthcare, defence and water management |
| 3 | Basic needs | For example housing, education, telecommunications and public transport |
| 4 | Other requests | In order of application |
Priority is not automatic. You have to show the grid operator, with supporting documents, that your request falls into one of the three categories. If it does not, requests with priority can overtake you in the queue.
Procedures are getting shorter, but some measures are still plans
Since 1 October 2026, court cases about grid expansion take less time. An appeal against projects of 21 kilovolts and above now goes straight to the highest court, which must rule within six months.
On 11 September the Dutch government announced a package of ten measures. Some of them are still plans. They include fewer permits for high-voltage substations, which could save a few months to a year and a half, and use of the grid's 'emergency lane': reserve capacity that companies may use if they temporarily cut their consumption during a fault. An exemption from nitrogen permits is still waiting for agreement in Brussels.
What does this mean for you?
- Ask your grid operator about the expected waiting time in your area. The situation differs by region and by grid operator.
- Do you think your project deserves priority, for example because it frees up room on the grid? Start gathering the supporting documents the grid operator asks for now.
- Do not just wait. Grid operators also make flexible offers to customers on the waiting list, which lets them grant part of the requests after all.
- Look at your own consumption first. Shifting or saving electricity often creates room within your current connection.
- Plan new projects with long lead times in mind. The shorter court procedure helps, but the emergency lane and lighter permit rules are not yet in force.
Sources: Netbeheer Nederland, Stand van de Uitvoering first half 2026 (5 October 2026) and press release on Stand van de Uitvoering 2025 (2 April 2026); ACM, code decision on prioritisation of transport requests 2025 (12 December 2025); Government of the Netherlands, news release on crisis legislation for the electricity grid (11 September 2026); Bulletin of Acts and Decrees 2026, 211 and 212 (17 July 2026).
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