Bundesnetzagentur defines first route for A-Nord, DolWin4 and BorWind4
Year of issue 2024
Date of issue 2024.05.29
The Bundesnetzagentur has today completed the joint planning approval procedure for the first section of the A-Nord, DolWin4 and BorWin4 power lines. The decision relates to the power line section NDS2 located in the rural districts of Emsland and Bentheim in Lower-Saxony. The Bundesnetzagentur has approved the parallel route of the three extra-high voltage lines between Rhede (Ems) and Wietmarschen, which will be laid underground in a new cable route. In autumn 2023 the Bundesnetzagentur had already approved an application for an early start to construction work on this section of the power line.
The planning approval has been issued concurrently for the three projects. Between Emden and Wietmarschen the power lines will run parallel and be constructed at the same time. The Federal Requirements Plan provides for a waiver of the federal sectoral planning process on the basis of the urgent need for the DolWin4 and BorWin4 power lines in the county line Leer/Emsland - Wietmarschen/Geeste section. Thus this section could jump straight to the planning approval procedure for the three power lines, which has now ended with an approval in less than three years.
Section from Rhede to Wietmarschen
The approximately 77 km long (A-Nord) and 70 km long cable routes initially run between Rhede (Ems) and Walchum, close to the border with the Netherlands. Near Haren (Ems) they cross the A31 motorway and continue to the east of Geeste. The NDS2 section for the DolWin4 and BorWin4 power lines terminates east of the Wietmarschen municipality. The NDS2 section of the A-Nord power line continues through the municipal area up to the border with the town of Nordhorn.
Today's decision confirms the path of the new A-Nord power line for the first of a total of six sections. The Bundesnetzagentur still has to approve the cable route in the NDS1 section for the DolWin4 and BorWin4 offshore grid connections.
The Bundesnetzagentur is expected to publish the planning approval on its website between 17 June 2024 and 1 July 2024. More information can be found in the local press and at the website www.netzausbau.de/vorhaben1-nds2.
Background
Project 1 from east Emden to Osterath is the northern part of the planned Corridor A (project name A-Nord). In Osterath the power line connects to Project 2 (Ultranet), the southern part of Corridor A. In future the A-Nord power line will carry the electricity generated from renewable energy sources in the North Sea and on land in Northern Germany to western regions of Germany.
Projects 78 and 79 (DolWin4 and BorWin4) will in future connect offshore wind farms in the North Sea to the German transmission network. The onshore termination point in the interior is found at the Hanekenfähr substation, where capacity is available to transport electricity generated from wind power to the south of Germany following the closure of the Emsland nuclear plant in Lingen (Ems).