In the Nordic countries the grid operator, not the landowner, decides what "powered" means. The three operators do it differently, and each publishes a different slice of what it knows. This is the short reference: who owns what, how the line is ordered, and what you can look up yourself.
Norway: a rule, a queue and published lists
Statnett owns and operates the transmission grid. Below it, regional and local grids are run by local grid companies, and Statnett's advice is to contact the local grid owner first. A request is assessed for maturity by the connecting grid company, or by the regional company or Statnett when it's large enough.
For larger requests the ordering is written into regulation. A request judged mature gets either a reservation or a queue place for capacity, ordered by when the applicant filed sufficient documentation. Holding it takes sufficient progress, and the capacity is withdrawn after advance notice when a significant deviation comes from the customer's own responsibility or risk. For Statnett the main rule is first come, first served, and an early assessment of whether there's room grants no rights to capacity. Statnett's June 2026 maturity requirements for the very largest requests are tougher again, stated to apply from 1 July 2026, and Statnett says they reach existing reservations and queue places too, with transition rules.
On the published side, the grid companies have to make their maturity criteria known in writing, and Statnett shows lists of cases in the queue, reserved and connected, with a data download for withdrawn capacity. Statnett warns that the statistics rest on connection requests registered by hand since 2018, so some gaps can occur. In April 2026 Statnett also put new reservations for large industrial consumption on hold north of Svartisen, and its letter to the regulator in June 2026 puts the line at consumption above 5 MW. Projects with an existing reservation keep it.
Sweden: a recommendation and a map
Svenska kraftnät manages and develops the main grid, which the Swedish state owns. Regional grid companies sit below it, and the allocations and reservations on its map mainly concern them.
At the main grid itself, the operator applies turn order under its own principles, in the version of 1 July 2026: the first complete application is offered available capacity first, and a reserved queue place can be lost without progress. For the grids below, in January 2024, Svenska kraftnät noted that there weren't any rules on how to rank competing connection requests, beyond the general requirement that access be given on objective, transparent and non-discriminatory terms. Its recommendation, which isn't binding, was that the first complete application gets priority, that a reservation runs from the date the complete application arrived, and that an application that fits within the existing grid can go ahead of one that doesn't, as long as the effect on the other applicant stays limited. In May 2026 it presented proposals for capacity zones set aside for identified customer types, with a competition on who is ready first. The law hasn't moved on the order: the new electricity market act passed in June 2026, in force from 1 January 2027, keeps the duty to connect and the duties on timetables and information, and sets no order for competing requests.
The map is the published part. Reviewed on 27 May 2026 and described as a first version, it shows indicatively available capacity by county in ranges, next to capacity allocated under signed agreements, capacity reserved after a study and capacity applied for but not yet studied. Svenska kraftnät says it doesn't replace the formal connection process and that the figures can't simply be added together or subtracted.
Finland: a map, an enquiry and an agreement
Fingrid owns and operates the main grid. A connection to it is a connection to a 400, 220 or 110 kV switchyard, and a 110 kV line connection is possible case by case. To find out whether a connection is feasible, the customer sends Fingrid an enquiry through its map service.
That service, Grid Scope, is free and shows the existing grid at 110 kV and above, publicly planned production projects, Fingrid's ten-year investment plan, and estimated connection capacity for production and for consumption at some of the main grid substations. Fingrid doesn't guarantee that the information is comprehensive and error-free, and says that building a project changes the capacity at other substations and lines.
Capacity is confirmed at the agreement stage. The agreement takes effect when it's signed and the connection fee is paid, and Fingrid can release the capacity for other customers if the connection isn't commissioned as agreed. A letter of intent doesn't reserve anything. Its principle is that connection capacity is agreed once permits have entered into legal force.
What the three have in common
None of them treats an early answer as a right. Statnett says its early assessment grants no rights to capacity, Svenska kraftnät says its map doesn't replace the formal process, and Fingrid says a letter of intent doesn't reserve capacity. In all three the operator decides, what it publishes is indicative or kept by hand, and the date attached to a claim tells you how much it's worth.
Where they differ
Norway orders the line by rule, on the date of sufficient documentation. Sweden has Svenska kraftnät's own principles for the main grid, a recommendation for the grids below, and a reform on the table. Finland ties the commitment to permits. For the narrative version of the same ground, read powered land in the Nordics. For what happens when the load can be cut, see our note on firm and non-firm connections.
Where Pure Core sits
We're acquiring capacity across Europe, starting in the Nordics, and we read each site against what the local operator has published and when. Own or control land with power in one of these countries? You can reach us through powered land acquisition.
Quick answers
Who owns the main grid in Norway, Sweden and Finland?
Statnett in Norway, Svenska kraftnät in Sweden, which manages the main grid owned by the state, and Fingrid in Finland. Regional and local grid companies sit below them.
Which Nordic operator publishes the most?
They publish different things. Statnett shows lists of queued, reserved and connected cases. Svenska kraftnät shows an indicative capacity map by county. Fingrid shows a map of the existing grid, planned projects and estimated capacity at some substations.
Does an early answer from the grid operator reserve capacity?
No. Statnett says its early assessment grants no rights to capacity, Svenska kraftnät says its map doesn't replace the formal process, and Fingrid says a letter of intent doesn't reserve capacity.
Related: Powered Land in the Nordics: What the Term Hides, firm and non-firm connections and Speed to Power in Europe.
Sources
All pages opened and read on 17 October 2026.
- Statnett, "When grid companies and direct customers are going to connect to the power grid" (English, last updated 20.12.2024): local grid owner first, early assessment grants no rights, first come, first served. statnett.no
- Statnett, "Introduction to the connection process" (English, last updated 20.12.2024): Statnett owns and operates the transmission grid, local companies run the regional and local grids. statnett.no
- Statnett, "Statistikk om tilknytningssaker" (Norwegian): published lists, manually registered requests since 2018, possible gaps. statnett.no
- Lovdata, Forskrift om nettregulering og energimarkedet (NEM), FOR-2019-10-24-1413, § 3-4 (maturity assessment, publication of criteria, reservation or queue place by date of sufficient documentation, progress, withdrawal; in force 1 January 2025). lovdata.no
- Svenska kraftnät, "Svenska kraftnäts rekommendationer till nätföretag gällande hantering av anslutningsärenden", 31 January 2024: definitions, no rules on prioritisation, first complete application, existing grid. svk.se
- Svenska kraftnät, "Principer och vägledning för anslutning till Stamnätet", version of 1 July 2026: turn order as the basic principle, reserved queue place lost without progress. svk.se
- Svenska kraftnät, "Kapacitetskarta transmissionsnätet" (reviewed 27 May 2026): indicative map by county, capacity categories, figures not to be added or subtracted, reservations mainly held by regional grid companies. svk.se
- Statnett, reply to the energy regulator, 15 June 2026, "Tilknytningsplikt nord for Svartisen": new reservations on hold north of Svartisen, existing reservations kept. statnett.no
- Svenska kraftnät, webinar on the government assignment on the connection process, 26 May 2026: capacity zones by customer type and a "ready first" competition. svk.se
- Fingrid, "Connection to the main grid": connection types, connection enquiry through the map service, letter of intent, release of capacity. fingrid.fi
- Fingrid, "Examine grid connections on a map" (Grid Scope): what the map shows and its disclaimers. fingrid.fi
- Fingrid, "Connection agreement and grid connection fees": agreement takes effect when signed and the fee is paid. fingrid.fi
- Fingrid, news of 26 June 2025 on the conditional connection agreement model: capacity agreed once permits are in legal force. fingrid.fi
- Statnett, "Modenhetskrav for forbrukstilknytninger", June 2026 (listed on Statnett's consultation page as "gjeldende fra 1.07.2026"): stricter maturity requirements for the largest consumption requests, transition rules for projects with a reservation or a queue place. statnett.no
- Riksdag, government bill 2025/26:240 "Nya lagar om elsystemet", chapter 6 of the new elmarknadslag (duty to connect, timetables, information on handling; no order for competing requests) and committee report 2025/26:NU25 (entry into force 1 January 2027). riksdagen.se
General information, not legal advice. Rules and pages as read on 17 October 2026.