TenneT advances power grid expansion in southern Germany

Transmission system operator (TSO) TenneT is progressing with the expansion of the power grid in southern Germany with the commissioning of the first section of a 185-km (115 mi) power transmission corridor.

The 51-km section between the substations in Redwitz and Mechlenreuth in Bavaria was completed within 15 months to enable the integration of more renewable energy into the power grid, TenneT said on Friday. The planning approval for the project was issued in November 2021 but the company was allowed to begin construction work in June 2021.

Stefan Wenzel, state secretary at the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK), said that the commissioning of the first section of the Ostbayernring is a milestone and more should follow soon.

"We have to make much faster progress with the expansion of the electricity grid. Every kilometre of line that is put into operation contributes to strengthening the power supply and stabilising grid fees in Germany", Wenzel added.

TenneT will significantly increase the transport capacity of the 185-km power corridor which regularly reaches its capacity limits as the share of renewables is growing. To avoid bottlenecks, the existing 380kV/220-kV systems will be expanded to two 380-kV systems so as to ensure the security of supply for the entire region.

Earlier in October, the company received a EUR-450-million (USD 447.79m) loan from the European Investment Bank (EIB) to finance the project.

(EUR 1 = USD 0.995)

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