German regulator sets partial route of north-south powerline

Germany’s Federal Network Agency (BNetzA) has decided on the route for the first part of a high-voltage powerline to bring wind power from the North Sea to consumers in southwest Germany. The project is “indispensable to the energy transition’s success”, the regulator said in a press release. In a separate release, energy minister Peter Altmaier said Germany had taken “an important step in expanding the big power highways”, but a lot remained to be done. The grid connecting Germany’s windy north to industrial consumers in the south isn't currently up to the job. Transmission grid operators and federal government want to build 4,650 kilometres of new transmission lines by 2025, including four north-south direct-current, high-voltage connections. But grid operators warn that deadline now looks unrealistic.