France has a single transmission operator, RTE, and one national procedure. But available capacity, the queue and the works required vary widely from one region and substation to another. This page summarises the situation by region, from public sources.
THE SITUATION BY REGION
| Region | What to know |
|---|---|
| Île-de-France | About 7 GW of projects with RTE; two fast-track sites in Seine-et-Marne; South Île-de-France zone |
| Hauts-de-France | Three of the five fast-track sites; Dunkirk and Valenciennes-Maubeuge zones; many brownfields |
| Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes | Standard procedure; strong generation along the Rhône, capacity assessed substation by substation |
| Marseille and PACA | Connectivity hub (submarine cables); Fos zone; water and cooling to anticipate |
| Grand Ouest | Le Havre zone; less dense grid; many projects on the Enedis side |
WHAT APPLIES EVERYWHERE
Five fast-track sites totalling 4.8 GW were published by RTE and Choose France on 1 June 2026: three in Hauts-de-France, two in Seine-et-Marne. On 3 July 2026, RTE announced connection-ready zones: +9 GW by 2029 at Dunkirk, Le Havre and Fos, and +5 GW in five industrial zones (South Île-de-France, South Alsace, Saint-Avold, Valenciennes-Maubeuge, Port-la-Nouvelle). It also announced a move to "first ready, first served" by the end of 2026.
Everywhere else, the standard procedure applies: exploratory study, PTF, connection agreement, with stricter queue retention rules since 2025. See France grid connection overview, queue position and the grid connection glossary.
Sources: RTE and Choose France, 1 June 2026; RTE press release, 3 July 2026 (in French).
Connection capacity and timelines are assessed substation by substation and file by file. This page is general information as of October 2026; only RTE and Enedis commit to a capacity and a timeline.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Which French region is best for a data center?
The one where the target capacity is available within the project's timeline. This is assessed substation by substation, not region by region: the region gives the context, the substation gives the answer.