Netherlands Authority for Consumers & Markets
Netherlands Authority for Consumers & Markets
06/09/2023 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 06/09/2023 03:07
ACM: households to be connected to the grid within 18 weeks, provided there is sufficient transmission capacity
The waiting time for new connections to the grid for households and other small-scale users is, in principle, 18 weeks at the most. Upgrades to existing connections in homes, for example for charging stations, heat pumps or solar panels, must be completed within 12 weeks. These connection deadlines only apply if there is sufficient transmission capacity available on the grid. In areas suffering from congestion, waiting times for consumers and other small-scale users cannot exceed one year. The Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) has laid down these connection deadlines for small-scale users in the Dutch Grid Code.
Connections for small-scale users are those that households and small-sized businesses have (connections of up to 3x80 Ampère on low voltage). Market participants, including the system operators and large-scale users (or their representatives) have asked ACM to grant them the opportunity to come, in consultation with each other, to a joint proposal for connection deadlines for large-scale users. These conversations among the relevant market participants are currently underway. That is why ACM has not yet taken a decision on the connection deadlines for large-scale users.
By laying down the maximum connection deadlines in the Grid Code, ACM offers as much certainty as possible to households and other small-scale users, which, at the moment, sometimes need to wait a long time for a new connection. And, with this move, ACM also shows consideration as much as possible for system operators that, in part because of staff shortages, have a hard time meeting demand for additional connections and transmission capacity.
ACM's recommendations: submit a connection request as early as possible
Small-scale users can always give system operators more time to realize a new connection. That is why ACM calls on small-scale users and project developers to file a connection request as early as possible. This will allow system operators to have more time for the realization of new connections, and enable them to plan their activities as efficiently as possible. In addition, ACM calls on system operators to improve their processes further in order to make it more efficient to file bulk requests for connections. If it is not possible to create a new connection for small-scale users within 18 weeks due to a serious shortage in transmission capacity, ACM will see to it that system operators do everything in their power to make sure that the connections can still be used as soon as possible.