# TenneT plans €245m of border-link income to curb grid revenues

> Grid operator TenneT has told the competition regulator ACM it wants to use €245m of 2027 congestion income to dampen the allowed revenues for the extra-high-voltage grid, which the regulator will rule on at the end of December.

Economy · published 2026-11-10 05:47 · https://nlnow.nl/a/tennet-plans-245m-of-border-link-income-to-curb-grid-revenues/

TenneT filed its plan for 2027 on 31 October with the Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM). It proposes using €245m of expected congestion income to dampen the allowed revenues for the extra-high-voltage grid. The amount would be deducted from 2027 congestion income.

Congestion income comes from auctions of capacity on the power links between the Netherlands, Norway, Germany, Belgium and Denmark, held when demand exceeds supply. By rule it must first be used to maintain or increase capacity. Only after that, and with ACM approval, can it be used to lower transport tariffs.

TenneT expects congestion income on the links with Norway, Denmark, Germany and Belgium to stay the same as in 2026. It expects the income in 2025 and 2026 to be more than enough to cover fully the cost of redispatch on critical network elements. Redispatch means TenneT asks power producers or consumers to generate or use more or less, so that cross-border trade can go ahead.

**Redispatch costs are set to rise sharply from 2025** (€m; source: TenneT, via ACM)

- 2025 (spent): 34
- 2026 (expected): 114.3
- 2027 (expected): 94.8

TenneT expects redispatch costs of €114.3m in 2026 and €94.8m in 2027, up from €34m in 2025. It says the rise comes mainly from redispatch during work on the extra-high-voltage grid. It stresses the estimate is highly uncertain. For the years after 2027 it expects longer periods in which the grid is unavailable for such work.

**What happens next**

- Early December: TenneT submits an update, because realised 2026 income and spending are not yet known
- End of December: ACM decides whether the planned 2027 spending complies with European rules

## Background

- **ACM (Autoriteit Consument en Markt)**: The Dutch Authority for Consumers and Markets is the independent regulator that oversees competition and consumer protection in the Netherlands. It also supervises energy networks, including approving the revenue caps that grid operators such as TenneT may recover from network users. Its decisions on allowed grid revenues directly affect the grid tariffs households and businesses pay.
- **congestie-inkomsten**: Congestion income is the revenue a Dutch grid operator receives from cross-border electricity interconnectors when capacity is allocated between bidding zones with different electricity prices. It is part of the income that grid operators can take into account when setting the allowed revenues for their networks. Because it can be used to reduce the revenues recovered through grid tariffs, it matters for what network users pay.

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