The energy system across Europe is under intense scrutiny. As the transition to renewables accelerates, the electrical grid faces growing pressure from constraints like grid congestion.

The Belgian grid’s backbone can be considered as a resilient one thanks to past market design and heavy investment in a strong, centralized infrastructure, especially around nuclear energy. And for years, this helped Belgium avoid the severe bottlenecks seen in neighboring countries like the Netherlands. However, even with a stronger foundation, the first signs of strain are appearing on the Flemish side of the Belgian grid.

As Maarten Vyncke, our Belgium Sales Development Lead, puts it:

We’re now facing exactly the same challenges we’ve seen unfold in the Netherlands — just a few years later. The advantage is that we can learn from them.

That’s why we will explore in this article what grid congestion looks like in Belgium, how it can affect your business, and which tools you can use to respond to these new constraints.

Understanding the emerging Belgian grid constraints

Grid congestion happens when demand or generation in a local area saturates the capacity of the grid infrastructure (cables and transformers); it’s often described as a “traffic jam” of electricity. This is primarily driven by two factors:

• Growing demand from electrification: The increasing adoption of electric vehicles, heat pumps, and large industrial loads (like fast-charging hubs and battery farms) significantly raises peak consumption.
• Decentralized generation: Periods of high solar production can exceed local consumption, pushing unused energy back onto the grid (that was not initially designed for it).

This issue is a local phenomenon, and is currently concentrated at the interface between the transmission gridSee Elia’s Capacity Map. (managed by Elia) and the distribution gridSee Fluvius’ Capacity Map. in the Flemish area (managed by Fluvius).

Recent data indicates that 16 out of 235 transformer substations in FlandersSource: Questions about grid congestion and the impact on connections in Flanders. Elia. are currently facing congestion. In addition, several overhead lines are nearing saturation. Because these lines feed multiple coupling points, constraints here have a ripple effect on wider areas. In these specific locations, grid operators can no longer permit additional business connections in the ‘traditional’ way.

Consequences for new and expanding energy projects

If you are developing a solar park, a wind farm, or an industrial site with a connection capacity greater than 1 MVA in these zones, you may face direct consequences:

Connection delays or refusal:

Immediate access to the full requested capacity may not be possible. Your projects may be placed on a waiting list until grid reinforcements (which may take years!) is complete.

Flexible connection contracts:

Grid operators are shifting away from guaranteed fixed capacity toward flexible access. Connection rights are becoming conditional:Please note: While this principle already exists on the Elia high-voltage grid (110 kV+), the regulatory framework to apply it to the Flemish distribution grid (Fluvius) and local transmission grid (30-70 kV) is still being finalized by the Flemish government. you can use the grid most of the time, but the DSO can curtail your capacity during peak moments.

Fall-back Flex (interim solution):

Until the flexible connection framework is formally approved, Fluvius introduced 'Fall-back Flex'Source: Vlaamse regulator keurt flexibiliteitsproduct Fluvius goed. Edwin van Gastel. Solar Magazine. (2025, May 26). product. This mechanism allows projects in congestion zones to obtain their requested capacity in exchange for delivering a predefined level of flexibility.

How it works: When a bottleneck is identified, Fluvius publishes a “zone fiche” detailing the flexibility need. Market parties (Flexibility Service Providers) can then offer their flexibility via a bid form. This allows new projects to connect without waiting for physical grid reinforcements.
Fall-Back Flex is temporary and will disappear once the new contract models or grid upgrades are completed.

Mandatory controllability (Telecontrole):

To facilitate flexibility, Fluvius requires the technical ability to intervene and scale down your asset’s power output remotely.

Telecontrole: The regulatory and technical requirement

For any new or modified grid connection with a capacity of 1 MVA or more, Fluvius requires a system for “precision regulation.” This mandate, known as Telecontrole, allows the grid operator to remotely monitor and control the active power injected into or consumed from the grid.

The mandated technical setup

The Telecontrole architecture is as follow:

• The Telecontrolekast (TCK): Fluvius installs a cabinet on your site containing their own Remote Terminal Unit (RTU) and a secure modem. This equipment communicates directly with the grid operator’s SCADA system.
• The Klant RTU (Customer RTU): You, as the asset owner, must provide a controller that connects your energy assets to the Fluvius TCK.

The TCK sends a single, site-wide setpoint (e.g., “limit export to 500 kW”). Your system must interpret this signal and distribute the limitation across your inverters, batteries, or turbines within seconds. Communication between the TCK and your controller must occur via a shielded Ethernet connection using the IEC 60870-5-104 protocol.

Maarten notes:

Telecontrole isn’t something unique to Belgium. We’ve worked with similar systems in the Netherlands, Greece en Denmark… they all stem from the same European RfG framework. The Teleport is designed to adapt to all these variations.

How the Teleport Gateway helps asset owners succeed in a constrained grid

While part of our team is proudly Belgian, Withthegrid first built its expertise in the Netherlands, which has been facing severe grid congestion for years. We know this problem inside and out.

That’s why we developed the Teleport Gateway as a brand-agnostic and local EMS layer, helping asset owners or project developers manage grid constraints and maximize the value of renewable energy projects. Here’s how you can benefit from it:

1. Guaranteed compliance (Telecontrole)

The Teleport Gateway satisfies the Telecontrole requirements set by Fluvius. It connects directly to the DSO’s cabinet using the required IEC 60870-5-104 protocol.

2. Maximizing value under flexible connections

If you sign a flexible connection agreement, you need a system that ensures you strictly adhere to the dynamic limits set by the DSO. The Teleport’s Grid Guard feature monitors your connection point in real-time. If the DSO limits your export capacity, the Teleport automatically curtails your inverters or charges your batteries, ensuring you never violate your contract or trip the main breaker.

3. Unlocking revenue from flexibility

By connecting your assets to the cloud with the Teleport, you can participate in flexibility markets (like FCR and aFRR) via your preferred trader. The Teleport allows you to stack revenue streams: prioritizing the DSO’s safety signals when necessary, but allowing your trader to trade capacity on the energy markets whenever the grid allows it.

4. Secure by design

Remote control requires trust. The Teleport Gateway is built on a “security-first” architecture to reduce the risk of cyber threats.

• Certified security: Our organization is ISO 27001 certified, and the Teleport meets the new RED3.3 and NIS2 requirements.
• Outbound-only connections: The Teleport initiates all communication from inside your network to our cloud.
• Encryption & authentication: All data is encrypted in transit using HTTPS. Furthermore, every single Teleport device authenticates itself with a unique certificate, preventing unauthorized access.

5. A team at your service

Technology is only as good as the support behind it. That’s why we prioritize operational excellence.

• Dedicated support: We have a 10-person support team actively monitoring your systems.
• Smooth commissioning: We perform a remote Site Acceptance Test (SAT) to validate the entire communication chain before you go live, preventing costly delays during the official Fluvius inspection.
• Future-proof: Need to connect a new battery or inverter brand? We add new asset integrations within 2 weeks.
• Reliability: We offer 24/7 support and transparent uptime reporting,See the live Teleport status page and the monthly report. giving you the peace of mind that your assets remain connected.