Looking back at 2024: energy transition makes further progress – significant steps forward in grid expansion
Klaus Müller: "More than twice as many kilometres were approved as in 2023. We are continuing to make great strides in the energy transition"
Year of issue 2024
Date of issue 2024.12.27
In 2024 the Bundesnetzagentur approved about 1,400 kilometres of power lines. This pushes up the total length of approved power lines under the Bundesnetzagentur’s responsibility to around 2,700 km. These power lines can be built.
"This year we have approved a record length of power lines. Our efforts to speed up procedures have proved successful. We hope to approve even more kilometres of lines next year,"
said Klaus Müller, President of the Bundesnetzagentur.
Great progress in the approval procedures
Currently about 16,800 km of power lines from the Federal Requirements Plan Act (BBPIG) and the Power Grid Expansion Act (EnLAG) have been legally decided on for expanding the grid. The Bundesnetzagentur is responsible for examining and approving around 9,600 km of these lines. The remainder is processed by the respective federal states.
For around 300 km of these 9,600 km the approval procedure has not yet begun. For 1,100 km a route corridor is yet to be determined in the federal sectoral planning process. At the end of 2024 around 5,500 km of lines are either in or about to start the planning approval procedure at the Bundesnetzagentur. In the course of the planning approval procedure the Bundesnetzagentur determines the exact route of the power lines. For around 2,700 km the planning approval has been completed or is no longer required due to legal changes. These power lines can be built.
In 2024 the Bundesnetzagentur also issued more than 50 notices approving an early start to construction. These enable the project developers to begin with numerous preparatory measures, such as clearing areas or setting up construction sites, before the extensive approval process has actually been completed.
The Bundesnetzagentur expects to have authorised a total of around 4,400 km of lines by the end of 2025.
Further information on electricity grid expansion
The Bundesnetzagentur regularly updates the forecast on progress in electricity grid expansion and publishes the updates at www.netzausbau.de/netzausbauprognose.
Information on the individual projects is available online at www.netzausbau.de/vorhaben. (Both links are to pages in German.)