Grid Congestion

Grid congestion occurs when, in certain areas, there is temporarily insufficient transport capacity to carry all generated and consumed electricity.

We are using and producing more electricity than ever. Think of electrification of industry and mobility, economic growth, and the rapid increase of solar and wind energy. The electricity grid was not originally designed for this.

At peak moments, bottlenecks arise: more electricity needs to flow through the grid locally than is technically safe. This is called congestion.

How is grid congestion addressed?

Grid operators work to reduce congestion in three ways:

1. Grid reinforcement
   New cables, transformers and substations increase physical capacity.
2. Better use of the grid
   Smarter use of existing capacity by spreading demand and supply over time.
3. Better insights
   Improved data and forecasting to detect bottlenecks earlier and act more precisely.

The role of GOPACS

GOPACS focuses on making better use of the existing grid. This means activating flexibility exactly where and when it is needed.

Companies temporarily adjust their consumption or generation to prevent or resolve local overload. This requires strong coordination and planning—especially in an energy system with increasing amounts of variable generation such as solar and wind. A sudden change in production or demand can quickly lead to congestion.

GOPACS was established by Dutch grid operators to activate this flexibility in a smart, targeted and transparent way. This helps prevent and resolve congestion, optimise grid usage, and maintain a reliable electricity system.

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