All requests for new or higher voltage electricity connections in Utrecht and its surrounding areas have been paused because of a shortage of capacity on the grid, junior climate minister Jo-Annes de Bat has told parliament in a briefing.
However, all new housing projects in the region – involving some 35,000 houses and apartments – which have been registered with the grid operator will still be able to get a connection, the minister said.
The freeze applies to both industry and private households and everyone applying will now be placed on a waiting list. High-voltage connections are needed for some types of heat pump and home batteries, for example.
The decision marks the first time that officials have ordered a complete stop on new connections, although there are problems in several other parts of the country.
Grid operator Tennet warned in February that without action there would be no capacity for new connections in Utrecht, Gelderland and the Flevopolder, but this has now been largely averted through emergency measures, De Bat told MPs.
Utrecht provincial official Huib van Essen told broadcaster NOS the news was “disappointing” but said he was “extremely optimistic” that new connections would be possible again within six months – the date set for the first review.
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