Congestion Management

Congestion management is the set of measures used to prevent and resolve congestion on the electricity grid. When a local transport constraint occurs, due to deviations from the planned schedule (e-programme), grid operators actively adjust to keep the grid safe and balanced.

When is congestion management applied?

Congestion management is used when:

• more transport is requested than can be safely handled locally
• generation or consumption deviates from the plan
• an acute or expected bottleneck arises

The goal: prevent overload without disturbing the national balance.

How does it work in practice?

Grid operators deploy flexible capacity from the market via:

• CBC and CSC contracts → for day-ahead solutions (planned in advance)
• Redispatch → for intraday solutions (adjustments within the day)

This is coordinated through GOPACS, the joint congestion management platform of Dutch grid operators.

Via GOPACS:

• grid operators make their capacity needs transparent
• market parties receive a market message when congestion is expected
• bids are matched on energy trading platforms such as EPEX SPOT, ETPA and Nord Pool

GOPACS matches buy and sell orders in a way that resolves the bottleneck—without creating new congestion elsewhere.

More than just a solution

Congestion management is more than a corrective measure. It is a temporary but essential instrument while grid expansion is still underway. Grid operators work closely with market parties and large consumers to unlock flexibility.

This delivers:

• a more stable electricity grid
• better allocation of available capacity
• room for growth and electrification
• an additional revenue stream for parties with flexible capacity

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