Dutch regulator to reprioritise grid connections from 1 July

The Dutch Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) will change grid-connection rules on 1 July 2026, sliding households and commercial customers down the connection priority queue. The shift is a direct response to chronic congestion at the distribution level: Liander, which serves roughly 3.5 million connections in North Holland and surrounding provinces, has already been urging solar owners to curtail output during midday peaks while the regulatory fix takes effect, per pv magazine.

The new priority framework does not specify a numerical queue position for affected customers, but the direction is clear: new residential and SME applicants will wait longer than grid-scale or industrial users. Liander has framed voluntary curtailment as a bridge measure, not a permanent solution. No compensation mechanism for curtailed generation has been announced alongside the rule change.

In Lithuania, a parallel regulatory shift took effect 5 June: grid operators can now forcibly disconnect solar installations above 100 kW that have not completed the country's heightened cybersecurity compliance process. Owners face both compliance costs and a backlog of certified installers, meaning some plants are exposed to disconnection risk through no immediate fault of their own, per pv magazine.