Amsterdam has set out how it will queue its own building projects for scarce space on the electricity grid, in a policy rule published in the Gemeenteblad, the city’s official gazette, on 16 October.
The grid in much of the city is so full that large new users wait on a list at Liander, the network operator, before they can be connected.
Under national rules that took effect on 1 January, municipalities could apply between 1 and 23 October for capacity and a place on that list on behalf of housing and school projects due to be finished between October 2026 and October 2036.
Amsterdam chose to apply for the projects it knows of and judged likely to go ahead.
Who goes first
The city ranks its projects by the year construction is due to start, so a project breaking ground in 2029 comes before one in 2031.
When two projects on the same substation start in the same year, the one with the most floor space for community facilities goes first, followed by the one with the most homes.
If even that is a tie, a lot is drawn in front of a notary.
The project list splits the city into four areas: Centrum, Oost and Oud Zuid; IJburg; Noord; and Watergraafsmeer, Zuidoost and Weesp.
Developers pay
Any capacity Liander grants will be handed on to developers, owners and leaseholders in order of their actual building start, if Liander agrees.
They must repay the city’s costs, raised each year with inflation, and the amount does not go down if prices fall.
The city says it cannot guarantee that any capacity will be granted and accepts no liability if it is not.
Nationwide, about 15,500 requests for grid capacity were waiting at the start of July, according to Solar Magazine.
The policy does not say when Liander will decide or how much capacity it will hand out.
Earlier this month 305 Amsterdam firms gained grid space through flexible contracts.
Source: Gemeenteblad Amsterdam 2026, 484436, published 16 October 2026