CRE grants Enedis a 4-year regulatory sandbox derogation to test DC low-voltage network tariffs (TURPE) at Douai pilot site

On 15 October 2026 the CRE (Deliberation n°2026-208) approved Enedis's request for a regulatory-sandbox derogation allowing it to apply distribution network tariff (TURPE) billing methodologies to a new low-voltage direct-current (DC) network at the Douaisis Agglo pilot site (PV, EV charging infrastructure). Since the existing TURPE 7 HTA-BT framework only covers alternating current (AC), Enedis is authorized to initially bill DC-connected installations using the existing AC low-voltage tariff components, with the CRE able to later publish DC-specific tariff grids (based on subscribed power, energy withdrawn/injected, potentially positive or negative) to replace the BT>36kVA grids during the experimentation.

This is the first concrete regulatory derogation enabling a distribution tariff methodology specifically designed for DC low-voltage networks, a structural innovation relevant as PV, battery storage and EV charging (intrinsically DC resources) proliferate. If successful, it could inform a future TURPE 8 HTA-BT component dedicated to DC low-voltage, reshaping distribution cost-recovery and grid-charge design for DER-rich networks across France and potentially other jurisdictions.

This event sits at the intersection of distribution network tariff design and DER integration policy. The regulatory sandbox mechanism (loi Energie-Climat, art. 61) allows CRE to depart from its own established TURPE methodology for a bounded pilot, which is a notable governance innovation: rather than waiting for a full TURPE review cycle, CRE tests a bespoke billing/tariff concept for DC-connected installations (PV, EV charging) at a single site (Douai) for 4 years (1 March 2027 to 1 March 2031). The design novelty is twofold: (1) a transitional approach—applying existing AC low-voltage tariff components to DC installations at experimentation start—and (2) an explicit option for CRE to later define new ad hoc tariff grids keyed to subscribed power and energy withdrawn/injected, which could be positive or negative (i.e., potentially rewarding injection). This creates a live test-bed for whether DC network costs should be recovered differently than AC costs, which has implications for future TURPE 8 HTA-BT rulemaking. The derogation is explicitly time-limited and reversible (automatic termination if TURPE 8 introduces a DC-specific component, with fallback to AC components if no generalization occurs), and is subject to annual reporting with both public and confidential indicators (network availability, metering quality, energy losses, cost-benefit analysis of AC vs DC substitution, and detailed TURPE amounts billed). This reporting obligation effectively turns the pilot into an evidence-generation mechanism for future tariff-design decisions, not merely an operational trial. For market design observers, the key forward risk/opportunity is whether the DC-specific tariff grids (if and when published) introduce materially different network charge structures (e.g., different treatment of injected vs withdrawn energy) that could later propagate into general TURPE methodology, affecting cost allocation for storage, EV charging, and prosumer PV across the broader French distribution system.

Article 61 of loi n°2019-1147 du 8 novembre 2019 relative à l'énergie et au climat (regulatory sandbox mechanism); CRE Deliberation n°2022-299 (sandbox procedures); CRE Deliberation n°2025-78 (TURPE 7 HTA-BT); CRE Deliberation n°2026-208 (derogation grant)

Start of DC network tariff experimentation (derogation begins) · 1 Mar 2027

Primary sources