Ministerial Order No. 15/2026/1 | Exceptional procedure for the allocation of grid connection capacity for electricity consumption installations in areas of high demand

Ministerial Order No. 15/2026/1 of 9 January was published today, regulating the exceptional procedure for the allocation of electricity grid connection capacity for consumption installations located in areas of high demand (ZGP), as provided for in Decree-Law No. 80/2023 of 6 September (DL 80/2023).

Among the main changes introduced by the Ministerial Order, the following stand out:

I.        Scope of application - Pursuant to Article 2 of the Ministerial Order, the exceptional procedure set out in DL 80/2023 does not apply to requests for access to the grid at medium and high voltage levels where the requested capacity is equal to or below:

• 50 megavolt-amperes (MVA), where the request relates to (i) the supply of essential public services (Law No. 23/96); (ii) predominantly housing projects, including land subdivisions and urbanisation works; or (iii) the operation of electric vehicle and electric boats charging points, under Decree-Law No. 93/2025 of 14 August; 
   
• 20 MVA, for all other requests for access to medium and high voltage networks.
   

II.      Timetable and deadlines of the exceptional procedure - Article 3 of the Ministerial Order establishes a strict and comprehensive timetable governing the exceptional procedure, covering all stages from the recognition of an ZGP to the issuance of grid connection capacity titles for the Public Electricity Service Network (RESP). The deadlines set out above in the Ministerial Order may be extended once, for an equal period, in cases of duly substantiated complexity.
 

III.    Security deposit - Article 6 of the Ministerial Order sets out the security deposit amounts to be provided by applicants, calculated on the basis of the capacity requested in the expression of interest, in accordance with the following marginal MVA brackets:

• € 13.500,00 up to 20 MVA;
• € 20.250,00 between 20 and 60 MVA;
• € 30.375,00 between 60 and 120 MVA;
• € 35.437,50 between 120 and 240 MVA;
• € 40.500,00 above 240 MVA.
   

The above amounts are automatically updated each January, in accordance with the consumer price index for the previous calendar year, excluding housing, applicable to mainland Portugal, as published by Statistics Portugal (Instituto Nacional de Estatística, I.P.).

This Ministerial Order enters into force on the day following its publication, with the exception of Article 6(3), concerning the updating of the security deposit amounts, which will only take effect as from 1 January 2027.

For further information, please consult the full text of Ministerial Order No. 15/2026/1 of 9 January, here (only available in Portuguese).