Impact on high-volume consumers: congestion, waiting lists, and congestion management
Our customers’ demand for and supply of electricity have grown immensely due to the energy transition. As a result, the grid is ‘saturated’ in many places. We call this grid congestion. In congested areas, large business customers seeking (additional) transmission capacity are placed on a waiting list. Waiting lists are expected to persist for years, meaning that customers may be unable to access the required transmission capacity for extended periods. This can prevent businesses from establishing themselves, expanding, or electrifying their operations. Plans to generate renewable energy are also being delayed. We recognise that this has a significant impact on both businesses and society. Grid congestion affects almost our entire service area, making its impact on our customers widespread. (ESRS S4 para 10b)
To ensure that all customers have access to energy, we need to take a different approach. That is why we are engaging in dialogue with customers and other stakeholders to jointly identify workable solutions. The availability of electricity at any time and in any place can no longer be taken for granted. This calls for changes in behaviour by households and for businesses to work and plan in new, more flexible ways.
Impact on high-volume consumers: scope for action
Customers and stakeholders need clarity and a clear path forward to meet their energy needs and pursue their ambitions. Unfortunately, we cannot always provide a clear scope for action. The planning and delivery of grid investments depend on many factors, including lengthy spatial planning procedures, permitting processes, and construction timelines. As a result, large business customers often lack certainty about their position: when transmission capacity will become available, what options exist, or which alternatives might be feasible. This uncertainty can lead companies to postpone or abandon investments, slowing progress towards a more sustainable society, economic development, and the energy transition as a whole.
Impact on low-volume consumers: connection timelines and lead times
Households are also increasingly suffering from the congested grid. The demand for electricity is growing rapidly, as is electricity feed-in from solar panels. As a result, pressure on the electricity grid in residential areas is rising sharply. Grid reinforcement or expansion is increasingly required before a household can get the new or heavier connection it wants. The increased volume of work, combined with limited labour availability, also means that households sometimes have to wait longer for a connection or upgrade. In areas affected by congestion, low-volume consumers will also be placed on waiting lists from 1 July 2026. As with high-volume consumers, certain customers may qualify for priority status, allowing them to move up the waiting list.
In September 2024, the Trade and Industry Appeals Tribunal (CBb) annulled the Grid Code provisions on connection lead times for low-volume consumers. Grid operators had appealed because the existing Grid Code did not account for the consequences of grid congestion. The Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) is developing a new code, with the regional grid operators serving in an advisory capacity. The impact on our 2026 targets will become clear at a later stage.
Grid access policy
As described above, we do not always manage to connect customers on time or provide them with the desired transmission capacity.(MDR-P ESRS 2 para 65 (d)) In this situation, Enexis applies its policy on waiting lists, the prioritisation of customers on those waiting lists, and grid expansions. This policy aligns with the legal framework and the guidelines of the ACM.
Congestion management and waiting lists
Since 1 January 2025, the new ACM code decision on connection times for high-volume consumers has been in force. In areas affected by congestion, connection times depend on when congestion is resolved. In areas without congestion, fixed deadlines apply. These deadlines are realistic for the grid operator and provide customers with greater predictability. For high-volume consumers, deadlines are set at 26 weeks, 52 weeks, or a project-specific time frame, depending on the project's complexity, plus a regional, dynamic waiting time that reflects available implementation capacity. Our policy is fully aligned with this legal framework and the ACM’s guidelines. (MDR-P ESRS 2 para 65 (d)) MDR-P ESRS 2 para 65(d))
When we anticipate congestion, we formally notify the ACM and carry out a congestion study in accordance with the ACM’s Netcode guidelines. Once Enexis announces congestion, transport requests from large consumers are placed on a waiting list.
As part of the congestion investigation, we apply congestion management measures. We ask existing customers – voluntarily and, in some cases, compulsorily – to be flexible with their electricity consumption or feed-in. These arrangements are laid down in contracts: customers reduce their consumption during peak periods and receive compensation in return. When sufficient flexible capacity is available, this approach helps prevent grid overload.
Prioritising customers on the waiting list
Any transmission capacity that becomes available is allocated in the order of the waiting list. (MDR-P ESRS 2 para 65(a)(b);S4 15) In doing so, we take into account customers who qualify for priority under the ACM’s social prioritisation framework. Customers who believe they are eligible can submit a request for priority to Enexis. Such requests must be substantiated in line with the ACM’s guidelines set out in the code decision. (ESRS 2 65(d)) Enexis assesses each request against these guidelines and informs the customer of its decision. Customers granted social priority are placed higher on the waiting list within the relevant priority category. (MDR-P ESRS 2 para 65(a)(b) ESRS S4 15)
This prioritisation enables certain high-volume consumers to access transmission capacity earlier, thereby limiting the negative social impact of capacity constraints for these customers. (ESRS 2 65(a)) At the same time, it means that other customers must wait longer, increasing uncertainty for those further down the waiting list.
At present, the social prioritisation framework applies only to high-volume consumers.(MDR-P ESRS 2 para 65 (b); ESRS S4 15) In March 2025, the CBb annulled the ACM’s previous prioritisation framework. As a result, the ACM’s new code decision on social prioritisation will enter into force on 1 January 2026. Under this new framework, high-volume and low-volume consumers are treated equally. In areas affected by congestion, low-volume consumers will also be placed on the waiting list from 1 July.
Programming and prioritising grid expansions
As we rebuild the energy system, we are approaching the limits of our implementation capacity and available space. If we are to accelerate the development of the energy infrastructure we need, we must make decisions about where and when to start. (ESRS 2 para 65(a)) Societal developments take precedence, which is why we have adopted a new collaborative approach with various stakeholders, including the government, provinces, municipalities, and market players. Together with these parties, we take an area-specific approach to develop a shared vision for future developments. We identify key choices and decision points and align spatial planning more closely with the development of energy infrastructure. The aim is to realise the required infrastructure by 2030 in an order that is optimal for society. This approach helps us manage current grid congestion more effectively and reduce the risk of future congestion. (ESRS 2 para 65(a)(b))
This collaborative process resulted in the pMIEK (Provincial Multi-Year Program for Infrastructure, Energy, and Climate). The pMIEK identifies spatial developments with high social priority and the necessary energy infrastructure. Where necessary, these investments are prioritised in planning and implementation. We incorporate the prioritisation in the pMIEK into the prioritisation of the investment portfolio when preparing the investment plan. In addition, the process contributes to the structural inclusion of energy and energy infrastructure in spatial planning in the Netherlands. (ESRS S4 15)