Most grid congestion measures not yet widely used, watchdog finds

Grid operators say they are on track with the agreements on making better use of the electricity grid, according to the first update of the dashboard the ACM uses to monitor their improvement plans. The update covers the second quarter of 2026. Operators have improved their insight into the grid and prepared several new congestion measures, but most of the measures are not yet in large-scale use.

The ACM made binding agreements with the operators on 2 June 2026 because the introduction of alternative transport rights and the use of congestion management were lagging behind. The agreements include a public dashboard, so that consumers and businesses can see at a glance which congestion measures are available in their area and whether they are often used.

The ACM says it did not expect the measures to be used on a large scale in the second quarter. It calls that a longer-term goal. For now, the focus is on developing and refining the measures.

Spending on congestion management

In congestion management, grid operators ask connected parties to use temporarily more or less electricity in return for payment, so the grid is not overloaded. The ACM's annual monitoring shows TenneT spent €49m on it on the high-voltage grids in 2025, in line with the ACM's earlier estimates.

The regional grid operators together spent €1.6m in 2025, considerably less than expected. The ACM says it will therefore keep a closer watch on spending.

What happens next

• 2027: the ACM will carry out on-site investigations at the grid operators to check whether the progress they report matches practice.
• Early 2027: the ACM expects to publish the next dashboard update, covering the third and fourth quarters of 2026.