Allocation procedure for an output greater than 3.5 MVA

• We shall carry out a capacity assessment by the end of the first quarter of a year in order to determine the available capacities for the upcoming round of proceedings. The data available to us for grid expansion and connection planning and the actual occurring load development will be taken into account.
• The result of the capacity assessment for the coming allocation period will be published on 14 April of each year, and no later than on the last working day before the start of the participation procedure.
• The publication is made by naming at least one output value, e.g. 50 MVA, and by a supplementary overview map with the Berlin area for a power allocation (topogram).

• The participation procedure starts on 15 April each year.
• Binding requests for connection can be submitted between 15 April and 30 June of a year. Only complete and plausible enquiries received by 30 June of the year will be considered in the further procedure. We have summarised the conditions of participation and the required documents below.
• A request must be submitted for a new connection or an extension of an existing connection for a (total) power > 3.5 MVA.
• The complete connection request must be sent by email to repartierung@stromnetz-berlin.de.
  The time stamp for the receipt of the e-mail (no later than 30 June, 23:59:59 CET) is relevant for determining the timely receipt of a request. Connection requests received late will not be considered in the further process flow.

• All binding connection requests received within the enquiry period and thus in good time will be checked.
• Once all the binding connection requests have been checked, the available capacities will be allocated proportionally to the successful connection requests, up to the maximum of the requested capacity.
• Applicants will be informed in writing by 31 July of the capacity that has been allocated to them.

• After allocating the service to a connection enquiry, we will start preparing a grid connection concept that includes a cost calculation and framework scheduling.
• After completion, we will prepare and submit a binding offer by 31 January of the following year at the latest to establish a grid connection.
• The offer will be sent in writing.

• Parties who have requested a connection will receive a binding offer for the allocated service.
• The offer will be binding for two months from the date of the written offer.
• If the offer is accepted within this period, the procedure for establishing the connection will begin.
• If the offer is not accepted or not accepted in due time, the offer will cease to be valid. The capacity previously allocated to the connection applicant will expire and be made available again to all connection petitioners in the following procedure period, subject to the capacity determination to be carried out upstream.

We require the following for the establishment or modification of a connection:

• the completed forms E.1, E.2 and possibly E.8 of the VDE AR N 4110^*,
• the anticipated power requirement (power balance); if you specify the desired contractual power in kW (active power), we will set this equal to kVA (apparent power) - unless you specify the apparent power value or the cosϕ shift factor,
• a scaled site plan with the local location of the property to be connected. If you already have a suggested location for your transfer station, please enter this and the desired cable route on the property or in the building on the site plan.

Forms TAR medium voltage from appendix E of VDE AR N 4110^*

^{* VDE-AR-N 4110 is part of the VDE regulations and can be purchased from VDE-Verlag.}

We require the following for the establishment or modification of a connection:

• the completed forms E.1, E.2 and, if applicable, E.6 of VDE AR N 4120,
• a true-to-scale site plan in accordance with form E.4 of VDE-AR-N 4120,
• an overview circuit diagram according to form E.4 of VDE-AR-N 4120,
• the expected power requirement (power balance).

TAR Hochspannung – forms from appendix E of VDE AR N 4120^*

Further information

Since 1 January 2015, the VDE-AR-N 4120 has replaced the Transmission Code 2007 as well as the VDN guideline "Renewable Energy Power Plants on the High-voltage Network" (EEG-Anlagen am Hoch- und Höchstspannungsnetz) for 110 kV grid connections.

Information of the VDE on the topic of high-voltage connection

Note

Since May 2016, the "Commission Regulation (EU) 2016/631 of 14 April 2016 establishing a network code on requirements for grid connection of Generators" has applied. At present, this is being transposed into national law by the relevant bodies, such as the VDE-FNN, and we expect an amendment to the technical connection regulations (TAR).*

^{* The VDE-AR-N 4120 forms part of the VDE regulations and can be purchased from VDE Verlag GmbH.}

^{All documents in German language only.}

Information on contract documents and technical documentation can be found on our page connection medium and high voltage.

Yes, there is and will continue to be sufficient electricity and grid capacity in Berlin for all household and commercial customers and for the grid connection of solar systems, heat pumps and wall boxes in the coming years.

Grid capacity is also still available for larger grid connections (> 3.5 MVA), but in future this will be distributed proportionately to the individual grid connection requests. This applies, for example, to factories/plants in the manufacturing industry, large electrolysers and battery storage facilities or large commercial data centres.

The demand for electricity in Berlin is constantly growing. And we have a very long-term plan for this, which recognises and incorporates all the requirements at the earliest possible stage.

Berlin's energy supply has existed for 140 years. The capacity that our network has achieved in these 140 years will double by 2033. This is a major challenge.

Even five years ago, no one could have foreseen that the Internet would have such a strong growth in the demand for energy and grid connections and that Berlin would play a major role in this. We have received grid connection applications for several hundred megawatts from data centres.

For comparison
The current capacity of the Potsdam distribution grid is around 90 megawatts.

We are currently unable to fully meet these requests for the connection of data centres in the medium term. That is why there is now a new procedure.

Previously, the principle of "first come, first served" applied to enquiries from very large customers for very large grid connections with a connected load of more than 3.5 megawatts each, regardless of the size of the enquiry. We do not believe that this is fair in the long term, and so we share the available power equally among the requests received by a specific deadline, regardless of the desired output.

We have compiled the following three examples in the conditions of participation to explain the procedure (petitioner = applicant).

The figures stated refer to the information in the conditions of participation.

Example 1

Output capacity determined and published for the respective grid area in accordance with item 1: 120 MVA

1^st petitioner: Request for 5 MVA without accepted partial output
2^nd petitioner: Request for 10 MVA with accepted partial output ≥ 5 MVA
3^rd petitioner: Request for 100 MVA without accepted partial output
4^th petitioner: Request for 80 MVA with accepted partial output ≥ 25 MVA
5^th petitioner: Request for 65 MVA with accepted partial output ≥ 50 MVA

Power capacity allocated in accordance with item 3:

• Level 1:
  Total requested connected load (260 MVA) > published output capacity (120 MVA), i.e. repartition required.
  
• Level 2:
  Each petitioner initially accounts for a partial output of 24 MVA (120 MVA : 5)
  
• Level 3:
  The first petitioner’s output request is lower. The petitioner is allocated 5 MVA. The remaining output of 19 MVA is shared among the other petitioners. The second petitioner’s output request is also lower, and this petitionier is allocated 10 MVA. The remaining output of 14 MVA is shared among the other petitioners. Each of the remaining three petitioners - 3, 4 and 5 - will therefore receive 35 MVA
  ([24 MVA + 24 MVA + 24 MVA + 19 MVA + 14 MVA] : 3).
  
• Level 4:
  The third petitioner’s request is not considered because the acceptance of partial output was refused. The remaining output of 35 MVA can be shared between the other two petitioners.
  
• Level 5:
  This means 105 MVA are available for petitioners 4 and 5; each will therefore receive a partial output of 52.5 MVA (105 MVA : 2)
  

Example 2

Output capacity determined and published for the respective grid area in accordance with item 1: 130 MVA

1^st petitioner: Request for 10 MVA without accepted partial output
2^nd petitioner: Request for 30 MVA with accepted partial output ≥ 25 MVA
3^rd petitioner: Request for 100 MVA without accepted partial output
4^th petitioner: Enquiry for 40 MVA with accepted partial output ≥ 20 MVA
5^th petitioner: Enquiry for 60 MVA with accepted partial output ≥ 50 MVA

Power capacity allocated in accordance with item 3:

• Level 1:
  Total requested connected load (240 MVA) > published power capacity (130 MVA), i.e. repartition required.
  
• Level 2:
  Each petitioner initially accounts for a partial output of 26 MVA (130 MVA : 5)
  
• Level 3:
  The first petitioner’s request for output is lower. The petitioner is allocated 10 MVA. The remaining output of 16 MVA is shared among the other petitioners. 120 MVA remain, so each of the four petitioners - 2, 3, 4 and 5 - will receive 30 MVA The second petitioner will therefore receive the requested capacity of 30 MVA, leaving 90 MVA.
  
• Level 4:
  

  The third petitioner’s request is not considered because the acceptance of partial output was refused. That petitioner’s remaining output of 30 MVA can be shared among the other petitioners.

• Level 5:
  This means that 90 MVA are available for petitioners 4 and 5, i.e. 45 MVA each. The fourth petitioner’s request is lower, and that petitioner is allocated 40 MVA. This petitioner’s remaining output of 5 MVA will be allocated to petitioner 5, meaning that petitioner receives a total of 50 MVA.

Example 3

Output capacity determined and published for the respective grid area in accordance with item 1: 130 MVA

1^st petitioner: Request for 10 MVA without accepted partial output
2^nd petitioner: Request for 30 MVA with accepted partial output ≥ 25 MVA
3^rd petitioner: Request for 100 MVA without accepted partial output
4^th petitioner: Request for 60 MVA with accepted partial output ≥ 40 MVA
5^th petitioner: Request for 80 MVA with accepted partial output ≥ 70 MVA

Power capacity allocated in accordance with item 3:

• Level 1:
  Total requested connected load (280 MVA) > published output capacity
  (130 MVA), i.e. repartition required.
  
• Level 2:
  Each petitioner initially receives a partial output of 26 MVA (130 MVA : 5)
  
• Level 3:
  The first petitioner’s request for power is lower. The petitioner is allocated 10 MVA. The remaining output of 16 MVA is shared among the other petitioners. 120 MVA remain, so each of the four petitioners - 2, 3, 4 and 5 - will receive 30 MVA The second petitioner is therefore allocated the requested capacity of 30 MVA, leaving 90 MVA.
  
• Level 4:
  The third petitioner’s request is not considered because the acceptance of partial output was refused. This petitioner’s remaining output of 30 MVA can be shared among the other petitioners.
  
• Level 5:
  This means that 90 MVA are available for petitioners 4 and 5, i.e. 45 MVA each. The second petitioner is allocated an output of 45 MVA. The fifth petitioner is not allocated an output because their stated partial output is higher than the available output. Of the remaining share (of 45 MVA), a further 15 MVA are allocated to petitioner 4, who thus achieves the requested capacity of 60 MVA. The remaining 30 MVA will be considered in the bidding process for the following year.
  

There is a connection obligation for low-voltage grid connections up to 1,000 volts, i.e. house connections, heat pumps, charging points for electric vehicles, etc. At higher voltage levels, grid operators can organise the connection procedure differently.

The allocation procedure applies to all customers who have applied for a new grid connection with a connected load of more than 3.5 megawatts or who have applied for an increase in capacity that raises their power consumption to more than 3.5 MW. This applies, for example, to factories/plants in the manufacturing industry, large electrolysers and battery storage facilities or large commercial data centres.

The regulation applies retroactively from 1 January 2024.

The new procedure is valid indefinitely.

Non-discriminatory procedures for dealing with shortages are the first-come, first-served principle (according to the time of receipt of applications), the lottery procedure, and the allocation procedure (repartitioning) that we have now introduced.

The repartition procedure is already being introduced by other network operators with many very large connection requests as a replacement for the first-come, first-served procedure.

The procedure had already been presented to the Federal Network Agency prior to its introduction.

We have summarised the detailed structure of the procedure and all relevant dates and periods further up on the website. You will also find the conditions of participation and the additional attachments (application, landowner's declaration) for a connection enquiry there.