New German power lines delayed by years – media report

Germany’s power transmission grid operators (TSO) have said that the construction of key electricity lines will likely be delayed by several years, reports Jakob Schlandt in Tagesspiegel Background. In their latest network development plan published this week, the companies provide two completion dates for many projects: one that has been communicated until now, which “assumes a very ambitious realisation largely without consideration of possible future risks.” And another, about two years later, which “is in line with the TSOs’ expectations” but also “subject to further uncertainties.”

This affects a good third of the 120 measures that have already been decided and all the major direct current (DC) power lines, according to Tagesspiegel’s analysis. The TSO said that supply security will not be affected, even after Germany shuts off its last nuclear power plant at the end of 2022. However, the cost of measures to stabilise the grid (e.g. re-dispatch measures) will likely increase. Energy minister Peter Altmaier had declared the grid expansion – needed in particular to transport wind energy from the North to the industrial hubs in the South of the country – one of his priorities when he entered office in 2017. Critics say that none of his acceleration measures have had enough impact. Delays in grid development occur for a range of reasons, such as slow planning procedures or legal challenges.