Grid operator lays first underground cables of key energy transition power line
Clean Energy Wire / Focus Online
A key high-voltage power line set to transport electricity from Germany's windy north to the industrial south has begun construction. Grid operator TenneT has laid the first cables for the SuedLink electricity superhighway in the northern state of Lower Saxony, with a symbolic event today (22 October) marking the occasion. The 700 kilometres-long direct current power line will run through six federal states, starting in Schleswig-Holstein and splitting in the south. It is intended to prevent onshore grid bottlenecks, which in recent years have increasingly led to the curtailment of offshore wind power.
Grid expansion is key for the energy transition. The SuedLink project, which was initially scheduled for completion in 2022, was long delayed because of fervent protests. It is now set to be finished in 2028. The power line could technically supply ten million households with electricity.
The German government plans to source 80 percent of power demand from renewables by 2030, with much of it being produced in the north. An expansion of the power grid to transport electricity to the industrial hubs in the south is therefore crucial. A lack of grid capacity has led to an increase of costly re-dispatch measures in Germany in 2023. Meeting renewable expansion targets and securing electricity supply will only be possible if grids grow at the same time.
