Who decides on the grid
Statnett is the owner and operator of the transmission grid. Below it, local grid companies run the regional and local grids. Statnett itself advises starting with the local grid owner. Under Norway's Energy Act, grid companies have a duty to connect new consumers and, where the grid has no room, to invest so that they can. For consumption, exemptions are only possible in extraordinary cases. The duty isn't a right to capacity today: until the grid can take the load safely, the customer waits.
Under the NEM regulation, the connecting grid company judges whether a larger request is mature. Bigger requests are judged by the regional company or by Statnett.
How capacity is ordered
A mature request gets a reservation or a queue place, set by the date on which sufficient documentation was submitted. The main principle of Statnett's process is first come, first served, and its early assessments carry no rights to capacity. A reservation holds while the project shows sufficient progress. After significant deviations the customer is responsible for, or has to bear the risk of, the capacity is to be withdrawn, in whole or in part, after advance notice.
One regional exception, as of Statnett's letter of 15 June 2026: new reservations of capacity for consumption above 5 MW are on hold north of Svartisen. That covers Finnmark, Troms and the north of Nordland from Ofoten, plus the Salten area north of Svartisen. Projects that already hold a reservation keep it, and Statnett says it will reassess the supply situation for new consumption every year.
Statnett handles the largest requests itself, and in June 2026 it published tougher maturity requirements for them, stated to apply from 1 July 2026. They ask for more on the project, the land, permits, funding and schedule. They don't only hit new requests: Statnett says they reach projects that already hold a reservation or a queue place as well, with transition rules that differ by criterion.
Cost enters the picture too. Where the grid work falls under the construction contribution rules, the customer commits to cover all or part of the development costs, and a later customer using the same facilities pays a contribution for ten years.
What is public
Statnett publishes lists of what is queued, reserved and connected, and offers a data download for withdrawn capacity. It warns that its figures come from requests logged by hand since 2018, so some entries may be missing.
What we look at in Norway
We begin with the local grid company: what it has said about a site, in writing, and when. When a request is large enough to reach Statnett, we read Statnett's lists as well and allow for their gaps. Then we check what conditions come with the connection, how far the project behind a reservation has actually got, and any contribution still due. The wider picture is in powered land in the Nordics, and firm and non-firm grid connections covers the conditions.
Questions we get
Does a grid reservation in Norway last indefinitely?
No. It holds while the project shows sufficient progress. If a significant deviation sits on the customer's side, as its responsibility or its risk, the capacity is withdrawn in whole or in part, after advance notice.
Is Statnett's published data complete?
Statnett says the data comes from requests logged by hand since 2018, so gaps are possible.
Is an early assessment from Statnett a promise of capacity?
No. According to Statnett, the assessment gives no rights to any available capacity.
Related: Sweden, Finland and land with a grid connection.
General information, not legal advice. Rules and pages as read on 17 October 2026.