The grid is sized for a few peak hours a year. A site that agrees to cut consumption during those hours could, in theory, use capacity that already exists instead of waiting for new assets. In the US, the idea has become a connection tool. In France, it is advancing through narrow doors. Here is where the rules stand as of November 2026.
WHAT IS HAPPENING IN THE US
Google announced in March 2026 that it had built 1 GW of demand response into long-term contracts with several utilities to connect new data centers faster: at certain hours, they cap or shift part of their computing. In October 2026, Google and Voltus expanded a virtual power plant on the PJM grid to 1 GW, aggregating batteries, thermostats and controllable industrial processes to free capacity at peak times. These mechanisms rely on US capacity markets and do not transfer as such to France.
IN FRANCE, WHAT ALREADY EXISTS
With the prefect: until March 2027, where connection delays exceed five years in an area, the regional prefect, at RTE's request, can set a new order for certain projects (hydrogen, industrial decarbonisation, major national interest). The implementing decree allows the flexibility of their consumption to be taken into account
In the Paris region: the overbooking scheme announced on 15 October 2026 lets data centers reach full power earlier, without today's limitation hours, in exchange for a stepped ramp-up and a stronger financial commitment
On the ground: RTE is testing, with Data4 and Schneider Electric at Marcoussis, Europe's first demonstrator on data center and power system interaction, under EPRI's DCFlex initiative
None of these doors currently gives, on the transmission grid, a general right to a faster connection in exchange for flexibility. The open question: what should a flexible megawatt earn? A faster connection, a lower contribution, or a place in the queue?
WHAT IS BEING DISCUSSED IN BRUSSELS
A draft EU regulation presented on 17 July 2026, still under negotiation, would let regulators, where capacity is scarce, deter speculative requests, require a level of maturity and prioritise certain user categories, including data centers, on objective criteria. A recital cites users with flexible consumption, storage or on-site generation. See also who decides the order of connection.
WHAT IT MEANS FOR A PROJECT
Quantify flexibility at the request stage. What the site can really modulate, and for how long: shifting compute, batteries, generators. A data center keeps service commitments to its customers; its flexibility has limits that must be written down.
Declare a ramp-up rather than a precautionary reserve. This is already possible, over up to ten years, and it is the condition of the Paris-region overbooking scheme.
Choose the right grid. For projects of a few to a few tens of megawatts, Enedis's power-modulation offer may become a real option by 2027. See Enedis connection for 20 to 30 MW and the RTE and Enedis local flexibility portal.
WHAT WE DO
We assess with you what flexibility can change in your connection file, depending on grid level, region and capacity, and what must be documented in the request. A high-voltage engineer from our network handles the technical side. Our commitment is a best-efforts obligation: only RTE and Enedis commit to a capacity and a timeline.
Sources: Atlante, 26 October 2026, and the texts it cites (law 2023-175, article 28; decrees 2023-1417 and 2025-203; draft regulation COM(2026) 600; Google blog post of 19 March 2026); Energy-Storage.news, 23 October 2026; RTE on the DCFlex demonstrator. General information as of November 2026.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Can a data center get a faster grid connection in France by accepting curtailment?
Not as a general rule today. Some doors exist: Enedis's power-modulation offer by August 2027, the prefect's power to reorder the queue in specific cases until March 2027, and the Paris-region overbooking scheme. The transmission-level framework is still to be defined.
Is flexibility compatible with a data center's service commitments?
Partly. A site can shift some computing or rely on batteries and generators, but it keeps commitments to its customers. Limits must be quantified before being offered to the grid operator.