Bundesnetzagentur decides on route for first section of SuedOstLink power line
Year of issue 2024
Date of issue 2024.04.29
The Bundesnetzagentur has today completed the planning approval procedure for the first section of the SuedOstLink power line.
"This is another key milestone in the expansion of Germany's electricity transmission capacity between the north and south of the country,"
said Klaus Müller, President of the Bundesnetzagentur.
The decision relates to section D3b (Isar converters) in Landshut rural district. This is where the SuedOstLink power line ends at the Isar grid connection point. The decision finalises the route, the sites of the two converters and the routes of the lines up to the grid connection point.
Last autumn the Bundesnetzagentur approved the first applications for an early start to construction work on this section of the power line. Today's decision means that TenneT GmbH, the system operator responsible, now has full approval.
Isar converters for the SuedOstLink power line
The section of the power line approved by the decision is about two kilometres long and runs through the municipalities of Essenbach and Niederaichbach. The route starts south of the A92 motorway near the Wattenbacher Au lay-by. The direct-current lines will end about 650 metres east at the converters in Markt Essenbach. 380-kilovolt alternating-current lines will run south underground to link the two converters with the Isar grid connection point.
The Bundesnetzagentur will be publishing details of the planning approval decision shortly at www.netzausbau.de/vorhaben5-d3b and www.netzausbau.de/vorhaben5a-d3b (in German).
SuedOstLink power line as a major axis for the energy transition
The SuedOstLink power line is a new link that will run from the north-east of Germany to Bavaria. It consists of two direct-current lines each with 2 gigawatts and a voltage of 525 kilovolts. The lines are listed as projects 5 and 5a in the Federal Requirements Plan Act. Project 5 is about 538 kilometres long and runs from Wolmirstedt (north of Magdeburg) to Isar (near Landshut). Project 5a starts in Klein Rogahn (near Schwerin) and meets project 5 in Börde rural district (west of Magdeburg). The two projects then run parallel to each other as the SuedOstLink power line.
The SuedOstLink power line will close a gap in electricity transmission between Bavaria and the federal states in north-east Germany. It will enable wind power to be transported to Bavaria from the windy regions in the north and east of the country and solar power to be transported from Bavaria to the north-east.
Each of the direct-current lines of the SuedOstLink power line can only be put into operation as a whole. The start of operation for project 5 is scheduled for 2027 and the start for project 5a for 2030. The two transmission system operators TenneT and 50Hertz are responsible for planning, constructing and operating the SuedOstLink power line.
Films explaining the network expansion process can be found on the Bundesnetzagentur's YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/netzausbau (in German).