Large electricity consumers: the triple challenge of grid connection, flexibility and bankability

De Gaulle Fleurance invites you to discover the 7th edition of its Energy Transition Observatory on Tuesday 2 June from 1pm to 2pm via video conference. Produced in partnership with De Gaulle Fleurance EMEA (United Arab Emirates), De Gaulle Fleurance Africa (Senegal), Rittershaus (Germany), Shakespeare Martineau (United Kingdom), Brigard Urrutia (Colombia), Azb & Partners (India), and DaWo Law Firm Shanghai (China), this edition focuses on large electricity consumers and the threefold challenge of their grid connection, flexibility and bankability, with a comparative analysis across the various countries of the contributing law firms.

Against a backdrop of rapid growth in artificial intelligence, the expansion of data centres, industrial electrification and the emergence of new electricity-intensive uses (hydrogen, mobility, heat), access to the grid is becoming – alongside price – a decisive strategic factor in determining location and competitiveness. The effective availability of capacity, the quality of supply, the predictability of connection times and the stability of the regulatory framework are now critical considerations in investment decisions.

In many jurisdictions, connection capacity and the quality of supply are tightening, timelines are extending, and network operators are introducing new access frameworks: prioritised connection queues, increased financial contributions, non-firm connections, flexibility requirements and congestion management mechanisms. Capacity can no longer be regarded as an automatic entitlement; it is increasingly organised, contractual and, in some cases, conditional, with allocation shaped by technical, economic and regulatory considerations.

The 2026 Observatory provides a commercial, legal and business-oriented analysis of this evolving landscape: how can large electricity consumers secure a reliable and financeable supply in an environment where firm capacity is no longer systematically guaranteed and where flexibility can represent, depending on the market, either an additional constraint or a source of value creation?

This edition will follow the decision-making pathway when selecting a location, with a view to identifying, across jurisdictions, the constraints, risks and competitive advantages at play.