Hauts-de-France combines a high-voltage network inherited from heavy industry, brownfields and available land. It holds the largest share of the fast-track sites published by RTE.
KEY FIGURES
Connection-ready zones announced by RTE on 3 July 2026: Dunkirk among the +9 GW by 2029, Valenciennes-Maubeuge among the +5 GW in industrial zones
Béthune, former Bridgestone plant: about 45 MW available at first, with the full 240 MW connection reportedly around three years away and gas generation in the meantime (published reports)
WHAT THIS MEANS FOR A PROJECT
A brownfield is not a grid connection. A former industrial site may have a substation and historical capacity, but that capacity is not necessarily available to a new project, or at the required level. Béthune shows it: the building was ready in about ten months, the grid will take years. See the Béthune case study.
Fast-track sites follow their own rules. They use a dedicated procedure for very large loads on the 400 kV network, with a financial commitment at reservation. Elsewhere, the standard procedure applies. See the five fast-track sites.
WHAT WE DO FOR A PROJECT IN HAUTS-DE-FRANCE
The problem. A well-located plot says nothing about the power actually available or the timeline. Capacity published by substation (Capareseau, data.gouv.fr) is a starting point, not an answer: it ignores the queue, the works required and other projects on the same substation.
Our answer. We read public data substation by substation, prepare or check the exploratory study and the PTF request, review a site's connection documents before purchase or financing, and follow the file through to the connection agreement. See grid connection audit, protecting a queue position and verifying a site's power claim.
Who is involved. A high-voltage engineer from our network who has led transmission grid connections, with a lawyer when planning or contracts are at stake. Our commitment is a best-efforts obligation.
Other regions: Île-de-France, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Marseille and PACA, Grand Ouest; and the overview by region.
Sources: RTE and Choose France, 1 June 2026; RTE press release, 3 July 2026 (in French); published reports on the Béthune project, 2026.
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
Does a connected brownfield make things faster?
Sometimes, for the building and a first tranche. But a site's historical capacity is not an acquired right: what RTE or Enedis can actually provide, and when, has to be checked.
Can any project use a fast-track site?
These sites are identified by the State and allocated under a dedicated procedure with significant financial guarantees. They target projects of several hundred megawatts.