The Finnish government is planning to implement a priority procedure for future electricity network connections.

A proposed amendment to the country’s Electricity Market Act plans to introduce a new mechanism requiring network operators to apply a priority system when processing connection requests from electricity consumption sites and energy storage facilities.

The proposed regime, to be applied when grid capacity is limited, divides connection requests into four priority groups. Electricity production is not included in the proposed system.

The draft proposal explains the first priority group includes consumers, small and medium-sized enterprises and charging points with a grid connection capacity of less than 3 MW, as well as data centres with a connection capacity of up to 1 MW. Facilities serving critical societal functions are also included.

The second group encompasses electricity consumption sites with connection capacities between 3 MW and 100 MW and data centres between 1 MW and 10 MW. Larger facilities can also qualify for this group if they commit to flexibility measures covering at least 80% of their peak electricity demand, the proposal says.

The third group consists of larger electricity consumption sites and data centres that exceed the capacity limits of group two, while the fourth group covers standalone electricity storage facilities that are not part of a power plant complex and are charged using electricity from the grid.

The proposed system is intended to encourage large electricity consumers and storage facilities to locate in areas where the grid is less congested, according to a statement released by the Finnish government.

The government adds the proposal is not designed to restrict access to the electricity network.

“The obligation of network operators to connect customers to the network would remain unchanged,” the government’s statement explains. “The proposal would also not affect the rules on the right to connect to the electricity network.”

Finland’s Minister of Climate and the Environment, Sari Multala, said the system would encourage large electricity consumers to take measures that reduce electricity prices and the risk of shortages, including by offering weather-independent flexible production capacity to the market.

“At the same time, we will avoid the need to build unnecessary transmission connections and thereby restrain the growth of transmission prices,” Multala added.

The proposed amendments are scheduled to enter into force on Jan. 1, 2027, but are also set to apply to existing connection requests where no official connection agreement had been concluded by that date.

A consultation on the proposed priority system is open until Oct. 9.

Finland installed 478 MW of utility-scale solar during the first half of 2026, taking cumulative utility-scale capacity to 842 MW. It has since commissioned a 101 MW solar project, bringing it closer to 1 GW of large-scale solar.