Early registration for grid connections for housing developments 2026–2036

At peak times, the electricity grid is overloaded. Grid operator Liander and local authorities are doing everything they can to expand the grid. New electricity substations and new cables are being installed, including in the municipality of Apeldoorn. But that takes time. That is why, with effect from July 2026, the Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) has introduced new, nationwide rules governing the distribution of electricity for new applications.

Since 1 July 2026, all new applications for a new or higher-capacity electricity connection have been placed on a waiting list. This also applies to small consumers such as households and many small and medium-sized enterprises. This has major consequences: all applications are placed on a single, joint waiting list. This applies to everyone: residents, businesses and construction projects.

Projects of public interest are given priority:

• Category 1: Congestion-relief measures (projects that free up capacity on the grid, such as large-scale energy storage and batteries)
• Category 2: Safety – Essential services (such as healthcare, emergency services and water management)
• Category 3: Basic needs and essential services (such as housing, education and heating)

Other applications will be dealt with afterwards and will therefore remain on the waiting list for longer.

Where possible, Apeldoorn Council submits new applications for key projects, such as housing, education, healthcare and municipal services. In doing so, the council aims to minimise delays as much as possible. The final allocation of grid capacity is determined by the grid operator Liander on the basis of national ACM regulations.

Resident

For households, there will be no change to the day-to-day supply of electricity. Would you like to make your home more sustainable with a heat pump or an electric vehicle charging point? Ask an electrician or installer to check whether you need a higher-capacity connection. If you don’t need a higher-capacity connection, nothing will change and you can go ahead with your plans. If you do need a higher-capacity connection to the electricity grid, it may take longer before it’s your turn to be connected. However, in most cases, it is possible to make your home more sustainable with a standard electricity connection. This is certainly true if you use electricity sensibly – for example, by not using all your appliances at the same time and minimising usage during peak hours (between 4.00 pm and 9.00 pm).

Entrepreneur

As a business owner, do you have plans to expand, switch to electricity or make your business operations more sustainable? If so, it is important to be aware that you may face waiting times for a new or higher-capacity electricity connection. Since 1 July 2026, SMEs have also been placed on the same waiting list as large-scale consumers and other applications.

We therefore advise business owners to gain an understanding of their situation and options at an early stage, for example in the following areas:

• Network operator or installer: have an assessment carried out to determine whether a new or higher-capacity connection is technically necessary.
• RVO or the Business Helpdesk: find out about grants, smart solutions and alternatives to grid reinforcement.
• Apeldoorn City Council: the council plays a monitoring role and contributes ideas on collective or area-specific solutions, but cannot provide any guarantees regarding implementation or planning.