Commercial read
What is constrained: New and heavier off-take connections in area 1a (Utrecht city, Woerden, De Ronde Venen, Zeist, Houten) are paused from 1 July 2026 until grid expansion or freed capacity becomes available. Feed-in is constrained at the TenneT layer across the province, and regionally in Nieuwegein and Houten Oost.
Still worth screening: Area 1b (Amersfoort, Bunschoten, Soest) and area 2 (Veenendaal) have no connection pause; note that Veenendaal still carries a 9 MW off-take queue while required capacity (63 MW) already exceeds available capacity (59.3 MW) by 3.7 MW on the capacity map, so no pause does not mean unlimited room.
What changed: The area 1a connection pause took effect on 1 July 2026 and is reviewed twice a year. Stedin's province page now gives a three-step relief timeline: the most critical TenneT expansions can be ready end of 2031 if all goes to plan, 2033 is the expected date, 2035 with setbacks.
What to watch: The twice-yearly pause reviews, the De Wetering station (2028) and Lage Weide expansion (2032 to 2034), the planned combined TenneT/Stedin station Haarrijn (under investigation, no confirmed date), and the feed-in side, where Stedin projects a 250 MW shortage by 2029 and the TenneT layer indicates relief only in 2035.
The numbers
Stations and areas
- Area 1a: Utrecht city, Woerden, De Ronde Venen, Zeist, Houten: Connection pause from 1 July 2026 for new and heavier off-take connections, until grid expansion or freed capacity becomes available. Reviewed twice a year. Expected: TenneT expansions resolving the high-voltage congestion are expected in 2033 (with setbacks possibly 2035); if all goes to plan the most critical expansions can be ready at the end of 2031. source
- Area 1b: Amersfoort, Bunschoten, Soest: No connection pause. source
- Area 2: Veenendaal: No connection pause. source
- Station Haarrijn (planned, north of Utrecht): A new combined TenneT/Stedin high-voltage station is under investigation. Expected: Under investigation, no confirmed date. source
- Utrecht Lage Weide / Merwedekanaal service area, off-take: The official capacity map (sampled 4 July 2026) lists 360 MW of existing transport capacity for off-take against 503.4 MW required, with a 28.1 MW off-take waiting queue and 20.4 MW feed-in queue; regional off-take congestion expected solved in 2034. Stedin's investment plan (page 85, reference date 31 October 2025) lists the area as orange on the Stedin level and red on the TenneT level. Expected: New Stedin transformer station De Wetering in 2028; Utrecht Lage Weide station expansion between 2032 and 2034. source
- Veenendaal service area, off-take: Area 2 has no connection pause, but it is not unconstrained: the official capacity map (sampled 4 July 2026) lists 59.3 MW existing against 63 MW required transport capacity for off-take, with a 9 MW off-take queue; regional congestion expected solved in 2031. Stedin's investment plan (page 85) lists Veenendaal 1 as red on both the Stedin and TenneT level for off-take. Expected: Veenendaal 01 station expansion between 2031 and 2033 per the investment plan. source
- Woerden service area, off-take: Inside pause area 1a. The official capacity map (sampled 4 July 2026) lists 30.4 MW existing against 37.4 MW required transport capacity for off-take, with an 8.8 MW off-take queue; regional congestion expected solved in 2029. Stedin's investment plan (page 85) lists Woerden Honthorst as red on both levels for off-take. Expected: Regional congestion expected solved in 2029 per the capacity map. source
- Feed-in, province-wide (FGU): Feed-in is constrained at the TenneT layer across the sampled Utrecht service areas: the official capacity map (4 July 2026) shows the TenneT feed-in layer at its most constrained level for the Utrecht city, Amersfoort and Veenendaal areas, with relief indicated for 2035. Stedin's own feed-in page projects a 250 MW provincial feed-in shortage by 2029. Stedin's investment plan also lists feed-in congestion at regional level in Nieuwegein (red, both levels) and Houten Oost (red, with the solving investment not yet determined, page 85). Expected: TenneT feed-in relief indicated for 2035 on the capacity map for the sampled areas. source
Capacity detail per station or area
| Station or area | Layer | Direction | Available MW | Needed MW | Relief project | Confidence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Area 1a: Utrecht city, Woerden, De Ronde Venen, Zeist, Houten | Regional (DSO) | Off-take | Not yet published | Not yet published | TenneT high-voltage expansions, End of 2031 for the most critical expansions if all goes to plan; 2033 expected; 2035 with setbacks | high | source, 2026-07-04 |
| Area 1b: Amersfoort, Bunschoten, Soest | Regional (DSO) | Off-take | Not yet published | Not yet published | None announced | high | source, 2026-07-03 |
| Area 2: Veenendaal | Regional (DSO) | Off-take | Not yet published | Not yet published | None announced | high | source, 2026-07-03 |
| Station Haarrijn (planned, north of Utrecht) | TenneT (transmission) | Not yet published | Not yet published | Not yet published | Station Haarrijn (combined TenneT/Stedin, under investigation) | medium | source, 2026-07-03 |
| Utrecht Lage Weide / Merwedekanaal service area, off-take | Both grids | Off-take | 360 | 503.4 | New transformer station De Wetering (2028) plus Utrecht Lage Weide expansion (Stedin), 2028 and 2032 to 2034, per the investment plan | high | source, 2026-07-04 |
| Veenendaal service area, off-take | Both grids | Off-take | 59.3 | 63 | Transformer station Veenendaal 01 expansion (Stedin), Between 2031 and 2033, per the investment plan | high | source, 2026-07-04 |
| Woerden service area, off-take | Both grids | Off-take | 30.4 | 37.4 | Woerden Honthorst reinforcement (Stedin investment plan, projects CV982 and CV999), 2029, per the capacity map | high | source, 2026-07-04 |
| Feed-in, province-wide (FGU) | Both grids | Feed-in | Not yet published | Not yet published | 2035, per the capacity map for the sampled areas | high | source, 2026-07-04 |