ACM Annual Plan 2026 underscores key role of flexibility in future energy system

The Consumer & Market Authority's annual plan for 2026 makes clear that flexibility and energy storage are no longer preconditions, but central building blocks of the future energy system. In its new annual agenda Focus on Energy 2026 outlines how the regulator intends to use regulation, market development and oversight to make the electricity system more agile and reliable.

Flexibility as a structural system solution

According to the ACM, the energy transition is under pressure from grid congestion, delayed infrastructure deployment and geopolitical uncertainties. This increases the importance of an energy system that can quickly adapt to changes in supply and demand. Flexibility is needed for security of supply and better coordination of production and consumption, for example through buffers that temporarily store surpluses.

Concrete measures to accelerate flexibility

For 2026, the ACM is announcing several policy decisions and studies directly relevant to flexibility and storage parties:

• Time-dependent network tariffs for both wholesale and retail consumers to reduce peak load and encourage flexible behavior.
• Improvement plans for grid operators with greater insight into grid usage and faster deployment of congestion measures.
• Decision on future flexibility needs based on TenneT analysis.
• Investigating role of flexible systems such as batteries and electrolysers in reducing grid costs and improving grid utilization.

In addition, the ACM expects new contract forms and alternative transmission rights to make it easier to connect flexible assets to the grid.

Capacity mechanisms and storage

The regulator signals that security of electricity supply may come under pressure after 2030. More regulable capacity - including storage - is therefore necessary. In that context, the ACM is preparing opinions on possible capacity mechanisms, in which market parties could be compensated for making generation, storage or demand response capacity available.

The ACM further expects flexibility to become its own market segment with new roles, for example, parties that supply flexibility for a fee. According to the regulator, this calls for adjusted regulations, new contract forms and behavioral changes among all players in the energy chain.

Industry calls for boldness and courage from ACM

Energy Storage NL welcomes the clear direction toward flexibility, but stresses that speed is now essential. For example, the industry association sees that flexibility - and with it energy storage - has for years been portrayed by policy makers as essential, but that in practice flexibility does not get off the ground enough. The industry calls on the ACM and other policymakers to be bold and courageous enough to make clear and specific choices to unlock flexibility, even if this means making technology-specific choices. After all, without clear choices and targeted stimulation, flexibility and energy storage will not get off the ground sufficiently.